


Pieces Fall Right Into Place

by cozypancakes



Series: You Are In Love [1]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Comedy, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Post Season 5, Romance, first half in Dean's POV, second half in Jeff's POV, smut throughout the story, very light and brief homophobic comment in the beginning of chapter 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24518746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cozypancakes/pseuds/cozypancakes
Summary: A friends with benefits situation between the Dean and Jeff is bound to get messy and complicated. They both know this going into it. Yet they wouldn't be stuck at Greendale if either of them made sound, rational decisions.
Relationships: Dean Craig Pelton/Jeff Winger
Series: You Are In Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805758
Comments: 40
Kudos: 186





	1. Get Caught Up In The Moment

**Author's Note:**

> This may not be the thing to say or the most eloquent/helpful way to say it, but I need to say something. I have been writing for 2-4 hours every day for the last 10 days. Partially because I really loved this idea and partially as my way to log off social media for a while each day. I debated posting today because it feels trivial writing about two white men in their own little bubble of Colorado. At the same time, I have a relatively small viewing compared to million dollar corporations and I am not profiting off of this monetarily. And maybe reading this will bring you as much comfort as writing it brought me. So for everyone coming here to escape the hard work of ending white supremacy, I hope you can forget about the outside world for a few minutes, recharge/heal, and return with more energy to the fight. Black lives matter!

Craig hummed as he calmly walked to his apartment door. There was an extra spring to his step. It had been a good day. He’d run all his errands, his dance class was particularly fun, and a package he’d been waiting on had finally arrived. He was so excited to go grab his delivery, that he hadn’t given a second thought to changing out of his tight shorts and crop top. The people in the apartment building were already familiar with his more extravagant outfits, afterall

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone turn into the hallway. Craig glanced up and couldn’t fight the huge smile on his face when he saw Jeffrey. He quickly took notice of the date next to him. Craig’s smile fell and he turned back to his door. He unlocked it in a hurry. No reason to embarrass Jeffrey and ruin his date. No doubt it would be taken as a deliberate ploy. Craig slipped into his apartment and closed the door.

But as he was about to lock his door, he couldn’t help but catch the conversation outside. 

“I can’t believe you’re stuck living next to one of  _ those people _ ,” a woman’s voice spoke.

Craig felt an unpleasant weight settle on his stomach. It was a familiar sensation. The instant shame and fear for his safety settled over him, reminding him that while some people may tolerate his choice of apparel, so many would never approve of it. 

“Those people?” Jeffrey asked. 

“You know,” the woman said. 

“No, I don’t know,” Jeffrey responded. “You should go.” 

“Are you serious?”

“Very serious,” Jeffrey said. “Homophobia is a huge turn off for me.” 

“Screw you,” the woman said. There were sharp heels on the floor that quickly faded away. Craig stood with his ear to the door, heart singing. Jeffrey had really done that. He’d always known Jeffrey didn’t take homophobic comments lightly but with people like Pierce in his group, it was always hard to really pin point where he stood. 

Craig moved away from his door. A small part of him almost felt guilty for ruining Jeffrey’s date, but it wasn’t like there was a shortage of people who wanted to sleep with him. Craig plopped himself onto his couch, ready to resume watching his romcom. He was sure the lingering effects of fear and shame would be forgotten by the time the movie ended. 

Before he could hit play, there was a knock on his door. Craig jumped in his seat. Was it Jeffrey’s date? Could she be back to tell him off? Craig’s panic skyrocketed. Should he pretend he didn’t hear that or risk peeking through the peephole? There was another light knock on his door. It didn’t sound like an angry knock. Craig tiptoed over to the door and looked out into the hallway. Jeffrey was standing there. 

Craig immediately flung the door open. “Jeffrey! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Normally his over exuberant greeting would have gotten an eye roll or something from Jeffrey but today, Jeffrey almost gave him a smile. 

“Can I come in?” Jeffrey asked. 

“Sure thing,” Craig beckoned him in with a small bow. The emotional whiplash he was dealing with tonight was causing his head to spin. He sat down next to Jeffrey on his couch. He was very thankful that he didn’t have any picture of Jeffrey laying around in the living room. 

Craig watched Jeffrey look around the room. There was random artwork hanging on his walls, mismatched throw pillows and blankets all over his couch and armchair. It wasn’t tidy; Craig liked to believe it was “lived in”. Though remembering the bachelor pad that was Jeffrey’s apartment, he could only imagine what this place looked like to him. 

“You have a nice place,” Jeffrey commented. 

“Thank you,” Craig replied. And being the good hostess he always was, he asked Jeffrey if he wanted anything to drink or eat. Jeffrey, surprisingly, said yes to coffee. Craig’s hands trembled slightly out of excitement as he sprinted through his kitchen. He wasn’t sure why Jeffrey had decided to stop by here. Was he going to bring up his date’s behavior? Craig resolved to ask him as he carried two mugs of coffee back to the couch, even if it broke the cheery mood he was in.

“Thanks, what’s the movie about,” Jeffrey asked.

Craig was more than happy for the distraction. Why rush Jeffrey out the door, afterall? He delved into a quick synopsis of what had happened so far and then hit play. Craig wanted to squeal with joy as he saw Jeffrey making himself comfortable on the couch. And Craig could hardly blame himself if he scooted the tiniest bit closer to Jeffrey. 

Even with the excitement of having Jeffrey here with him, Craig became engrossed in the movie. It wasn’t a particularly spectacular movie, girl meets boy, boy falls in love with girl, girl gets run over by a car and gets amnesia. But Craig always easily got lost in movies. So when Jeffrey wrapped his hand around Craig’s bicep, he almost jumped out of his skin. 

“You work out?” Jeffrey asked. 

“Oh, sorta. I do a lot of dancing and yoga,” Craig responded. Jeffrey’s hand was sending a tingling sensation throughout his whole body. “Don’t have to ask you if you work out,” Craig teased. He moved his hand to caress Jeffrey’s abs and then kept his hand there. Jeffrey wasn’t removing his hand like he usually did. Craig looked up at Jeffrey’s face. There was a very serious expression on his face though he didn’t look mad per say. It was more so intense in a way. “Jeffrey?” 

“Fuck it,” Jeffrey breathed. 

Craig didn’t get the chance to be confused by Jeffrey’s statement. In that moment, Jeffrey grabbed his face and smashed their lips together. Craig had no idea what had compelled Jeffrey to kiss him. But even so, Craig immediately melted into the kiss. He willingly opened his mouth and let Jeffrey slip his tongue in. He could hardly be embarrassed by the lewd and needy moan he let out. Jeffrey angled his head to the side so he could kiss him deeper. Craig’s head was spinning. Jeffrey’s lips were as soft as he imagined and his tongue was deftly skilled at making his spine tingle. 

Craig brought his hands up to run through Jeffrey’s hair. He kissed Jeffrey back, hard. His tongue slipped into Jeffrey’s mouth as he felt Jeffrey’s hands slide down his sides to his hips. Craig’s whole body was on fire. Craig could taste the scotch Jeffrey had had on his date mixed with his coffee. 

And as quickly as it started, it was over. Jeffrey pulled back slowly, gasping for breath. Craig knew his face and neck were probably a deep red. He should say something. But Craig’s brain was a complete blank; it was focused solely on the tingling of his lips. 

“That…” Jeffrey began, then stopped to clear his throat. “That felt good.” There was a dazed look to his face. Craig wasn’t even sure if he realized he’d spoken out loud, let alone what his words were doing to Craig’s heart. Jeffrey's eyes met his and they pierced into him. “Really good,” Jeffrey said. 

The look Jeffrey was giving him made his whole body pulse with desire. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea on so many levels. Jeffrey might be drunk. Jeffrey would definitely regret this in the morning, or really, ten seconds after they finished. Craig wouldn’t be able to handle that. 

“It did,” Craig agreed. He always did what he wanted, even if it meant getting hurt somewhere down the line. 

“So…”Jeffrey spoke up. Craig’s eyes shot back to Jeffrey’s face. He watched the other man cross his arms over his chest, clearly uncomfortable. “We should...set some ground rules.” 

Craig was going to have a heart attack. “Rules?” He asked dumbly.

“I mean, only if you want to take this fur-”

“Yes! Of course,” Craig exclaimed. How could Jeffrey even think that was a question? 

“Right,” Jeffrey said. “Do you have a pen and paper?”

“Oh, sure.” Craig quickly reached over to the side tables. He ripped away the grocery list he’d been working on and handed the notepad to Jeffrey. 

“So first, you can’t tell, imply, or lead anyone to believe anything of what happened here tonight.” Craig almost swooned; he loved when Jeffrey would get all lawyer-y. “Second, there is to be no recordings of this, either visual or audio.” Jeffrey looked up at him pointedly.

“Of course not!” Craig replied, offended. Even he had boundaries. 

“Third,” Jeffrey said sternly. “We use protection. Fourth, safeword.” Jeffrey looked up at him. Craig was impressed and let it show on his face. Perhaps Jeffrey’s sex life hadn’t been as vanilla as he once suspected. 

“Lettuce?” Craig asked. He always liked to use words that would never naturally pop up during sex. 

Jeffrey wrote down his answer and then asked, “Nonverbal?” Jeffrey looked up at him and frowned. The shock Craig was feeling must have been evident on his face again. “I’ve had sex before, you know,” Jeffrey said. 

“Well, you’re not the first straight man I’ve been with, and they usually haven’t heard of safe words before,” Craig blurted out in his defence. There was an awkward stretch of silence at his declaration. Craig cleared his throat. “I usually snap my fingers rapidly.” 

Jeffrey looked at him for a moment longer. Craig was worried that he’d ruined everything, but then Jeffrey turned back to his notepad. “Anything else,” Jeffrey asked, still avoiding eye contact. 

“No,” Craig replied. His heart was racing in his ears. If there was something missing from the list, Craig couldn’t fault his mind for not thinking of it at that moment. The only thing he was thinking of was not cumming in his pants. 

“Right,” Jeffrey said. He set the notepad and pen down on the coffee table. Instead of sexual tension, the air was filled with uncomfortable silence. Craig had two options: he could wait for Jeffrey to make the first move or he could take matters into his own hands. When would another opportunity to have Jeffrey willing to have sex with him appear again?

With that thought in mind, Craig moved off the couch to stand right in front of Jeffrey. Jeffrey looked up at him cautiously. Feeling like an inexperienced teenager, Craig slowly straddled Jeffrey’s hips. Remembering how explosive the first kiss had been, Craig leaned over Jeffrey and brought their lips together. It was a much slower and tamer kiss than the first time. Craig took the opportunity to build up a slow rhythm. He slowly savored the feel of Jeffrey's lips on him. Craig felt Jeffrey tentatively place his hands on Craig’s exposed hips. A shiver went down his spine at the contact. He traced Jeffrey’s bottom lip with the tip of his tongue and then lightly bit down on it. Jeffrey tightened his grip. He brought Craig closer to him until their chests were pressed together. One of Jeffrey’s hands moved up to his neck, moving his face so he could deepen the kiss.

Craig moaned at the sensation. He moved his hands to begin unbuttoning Jeffrey’s shirt. He could barely contain his glee at being able to touch that sinful chest. The kiss quickly turned downright dirty, making it hard to complete his task of ridding Jeffrey of his shirt. Craig’s hands gave up and simply started feeling up Jeffrey over his shirt. His hips and hands soon began an unconscious rhythm of rubbing against Jeffrey. Jeffrey groaned under him, biting down on Craig’’s bottom lip. Craig’s hips ground down harder. Jeffrey’s hand that was on his hip moved down to squeeze his ass. He kept his hand there, encouraging Craig’s hips into a faster tempo. Craig broke away from Jeffrey’s lips, moaning as he moved against Jeffrey’s very prominent erection. Jeffrey Winger had a hard on because of  _ him _ . 

Jeffrey leaned forward and started trailing kisses down his neck. He licked and sucked as his other hand traveled down Craig’s own chest. Craig’s hands tangled into Jeffrey’s hair, quickly lost to the sensation of Jeffrey. His hand wandered under Craig’s crop top and started teasing one of his nipples. 

“Fuck,” Craig moaned. He bucked his hips against Jeffrey which elicited a sharp bite to his neck. 

Jeffrey suddenly pulled back. His hands came down to grip at Craig’s hips, stopping his movements. Craig looked down at him confused. Had he done something wrong? Had Jeffrey changed his mind?

“Bed,” Jeffrey said, breathless. “Now.” The commanding tone in Jeffrey’s voice made Craig worry about his ability to stay upright. He nodded and made a move to get off Jeffrey’s lap but the grip on his hips tightened. Next thing he knew, Jeffrey’s hands were on the backs of his thighs and he was standing up. Craig let out a startled noise and quickly wrapped his arms and legs around him. It was like a scene straight out of a movie or porno. Craig leaned down to kiss Jeffrey again. Jeffrey indulged him in the kiss for a few moments before pulling away, claiming he needed to see where he was going. Craig was not deterred. He took his turn in kissing down Jeffrey’s neck. The stubble of Jeffrey’s facial hair was unusually pleasant against Craig’s freshly shaven skin. 

There was some stumbling down the hall to Craig’s small bedroom. The thought that the framed photo of Jeffrey was on full display on his night stand crossed his mind, but it was quickly pushed back when Jeffrey threw him on the bed. Craig watched as Jeffrey finished the few buttons on his shirt and then took it off to reveal his incredibly chiseled chest. And he didn’t stop there. Jeffrey kept eye contact as he kicked off his shoes and made quick work of his belt. Without much ceremony, Jeffrey pulled his jeans and underwear down in one move. Craig had difficulty breathing. His eyes moved down the glorious body of Jeffrey Winger. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Jeffrey naked, of course. But he’d never thought it would happen as a preamble to sex. And it was definitely the first time he’d seen Jeffrey fully erect. 

“I’d say take a picture, but that would be against the rules,” Jeffrey teased. 

Craig moved his eyes back up to Jeffrey’s face. “I’m sure I can find a lawyer to argue that,” Craig said. Jeffrey laughed, actually laughed. And it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. He knew then that when this ended he would be absolutely crushed. 

Craig sat up in bed and pulled off his crop top. Jeffrey took the invitation and crawled up on the bed to join him. Jeffrey pushed Craig back down on the bed and undid the button on his shorts. He pulled them down along with his underwear. Craig couldn’t fathom the reality that he and Jeffrey were naked in his bed. 

“Condoms?” Jeffrey asked. 

Craig opened his mouth to say the nightstand and then suddenly remembered the photo. “I’ll get them,” Craig responded, too loudly. He turned and slammed the picture frame face down. Then he yanked open his top drawer. He had not remembered the two dildos that were in here. Craig thanked the universe for not allowing Jeffrey to see that and get scared off. He grabbed a condom and his bottle of lube, firmly shut the drawer, and turned to face Jeffrey. 

Jeffrey’s eyes snapped up to his face, cheeks lightly blushing. They then quickly looked at the items Craig had retrieved and there was definitely a blush when his eyes settled on the lube. “You’ve never…”Craig asked, lifting up the bottle. Jeffrey shook his head. “Right, that’s fine. I can do it myself. Just need a few minutes.” Craig hesitated as he watched Jeffrey. He hadn’t joked about having been with “straight” men before, but that had been years ago. It’d been a while since he’d had to walk on eggshells with his sexual partners. Hell, he’d had a short lived fling with someone who liked to do it while in a dalmatians costume. Feeling awkward about fingering himself open was not something he’d had to deal with. Well, no use trying to pretend that they weren’t about to have very gay sex. 

Craig shifted on the bed, getting comfortable. He squirted lube onto his fingers and rubbed them together, warming up the fluid. He could feel Jeffrey’s eyes on him, but he refused to shy away. They’d gotten up to this part. If Jeffrey couldn’t deal then it was best to know now. Craig spread his legs and reached behind himself. He let his eyes close. Like this, it was any other night where he would pleasure himself. Craig teased his opening and then slowly pushed one finger in. He kept his breathing deep and even, relaxing his body. It took Craig a minute to get used to moving his hand at this angle but he soon got the hang of it and added a second finger. His breath hitched as he began to more earnestly finger himself, stretching himself open slowly. 

The bed below Craig shifted and he fought the urge to open his eyes or stop. Craig continued his moments. Three fingers was usually all he needed to be ready. The bed shifted again and a hand rested on his thigh. Craig jumped at the feeling and opened his eyes. Jeffrey was kneeling on the bed, in between Craig’s legs. His eyes were glued to what Craig was doing. Craig moaned and arched off the bed. Having Jeffrey watch him do this sent a jolt of pleasure down his spine. 

“This, this is oddly arousing,” Jeffrey said in a near whisper. 

“Feels pretty amazing too,” Craig said, tone suggestive. 

Jeffrey’s eyes flickered up to his face and it looked like he was fighting back a smile. “Maybe some other time,” Jeffrey said, returning his eyes back down. Craig wanted to ask if there would be another time but his courage failed him then. 

Instead he pushed his fingers as far as he could and stretched himself out. He certainly felt loose enough. Craig slowly removed his fingers and looked up at Jeffrey. He was already reaching over for the condom. Craig watched as Jeffrey pulled the condom over his cock. This was really happening. He had to keep reminding himself of that. It all seemed surreal. 

“How do you like it,” Jeffrey asked as he settled between Craig’s thighs. Craig was afraid he’d cum right then and there. 

Craig swallowed before he was able to respond. “Slow build up to fast and rough.” 

Jeffrey looked at him, grinning like a devil. “I can do that.” Jeffrey moved his hand between their bodies and guided his cock to Craig’s entrance. He slowly pushed into Craig. Craig’s eyes wanted to flutter closed at the feeling of being filled by Jeffrey Winger, but he refused to miss a single second of this. Jeffrey was panting over him, biceps flexed as he held himself over Craig. 

Craig was ready for mind blowing orgasmic sex. Yet as Jeffrey began thrusting into him...Craig was surprisingly disappointed. Or maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise. He’d been wanting this for so long and fantasizing about it time and time again. Actually having sex with Jeffrey was never going to be perfect like in his fantasies. Craig still didn’t think the word “okay” would ever be applied to it though. 

He shifted his hips, trying to see if he could subtly change the angle. Jeffrey groaned above him, increasing his speed. Was Jeffrey really enjoying himself right now? Craig stared up at his ceiling, mind racing with his options. He could continue to lay there, having less than satisfactory sex, and finish himself off once Jeffrey had left. Or he could do what he always did with his sexual partners: he could tell them exactly what he wanted. For some reason, the idea of telling Jeffrey how to have sex was ridiculous. This was Jeffrey. He could have anyone he wanted. He couldn’t possibly be not amazing at this. 

Jeffrey was steadily pumping in and out of him. The bed was beginning to creak below them and Jeffrey’s groans were getting louder as things continued. With a new found determination, Craig began moving in his hips, trying to match Jeffrey’s rhythm. He had to put his part in to make this memorable. After a few minutes of trying his hardest, Craig whined in frustration. It wasn’t bad. Jeffrey was big and thick. The roughness Jeffrey had was what Craig always liked. But his prostate was barely being stimulated and his cock was uncomfortably squished between their bodies in a way that was making it hard to stay hard. 

With another groan of frustration, Craig threw caution to the wind. He brought his thighs up to Jeffrey’s hips, clenching down. And in one quick movement, he switched their positions so Craig was once again straddling Jeffrey’s hips. Jeffrey blinked up at him, completely dazed. Craig shifted on top of him, placing both hands on Jeffrey’s chest. He moved his hips experimentally, looking for the right angle. His breath hitched when the head of Jeffrey’s cock rubbed his prostate. He slowly let himself down on Jeffrey’s cock again, reveling in the sensations. His grip on Jeffrey’s muscles tightened and then he rode Jeffrey.

Jeffrey’s hands came up to grip Craig’s thighs, head thrown back in a loud moan. Craig almost laughed with glee.  _ This _ was how sex was supposed to feel. So freaking good that his mind went completely blank, his body chasing the pleasure. Craig bounced on Jeffrey’s cock, uncaring how loud he was being. He doubted his neighbor minded. Jeffrey’s tight, almost bruising hold on his thighs spurred him on. God, please let there be bruises. 

When Jeffrey began blindly bucking up into him, Craig wrapped one hand around his own dick and began pumping. He was so close. And Jeffrey was so big and hard. He was hitting his prostate with every thrust. Craig stared down at Jeffrey with lidded eyes. His mouth was open, groans and cuss words falling out. His nipples were hard and there was a light sheen of sweat all over his chiseled muscles. Craig came all over those hard abs with a long moan. 

Jeffrey let him ride out his orgasm, thrusts slowing down as Craig came down from his high. “That,” Craig began, trying to catch his breath, “was good. Like, really good.” Jeffrey chuckled underneath him. 

Craig moved so that Jeffrey slid out of him. He then settled in between Jeffrey’s thighs, removing the condom. He gave one slow pump, savoring the feeling of Jeffrey’s hard and leaking penis in his hand. Then he took the head into his mouth, tongue licking off all the precum. “Fuck,” Jeffrey groaned. His hand landed on Craig’s shoulder. Craig took in more of Jeffrey into his mouth, covering as much as he could in saliva. He bobbed his head up and down, relishing in the noises Jeffrey made. 

The blowjob did not last long before Jeffrey was warning him he was about to cum. Craig sucked harder and moved faster, anxious to have Jeffrey cumming down his throat. That at least was as hot as Craig ever imagined it. Craig sat up, mouth full of Jeffrey’s cum and made eye contact. He swallowed, exaggerating the movement of his throat. The sight of Jeffrey biting down on his lip as he watched him made Craig hardly mind the bitter taste in his mouth. 


	2. Scratches Down Your Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short snapshots of the Dean and Jeff's "situation" before and during the beginning of Season 6. POV changes halfway through the chapter. Some dialogue and scenes adopted from S6E1&2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 5th 2020 should have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday. She will not be turning 27. She was shot 8 times in her own apartment when police executed a no-knock warrant in the middle of the night on the wrong address. Her murderers have not been arrested or charged. Breonna was an EMT who had been working tirelessly to help others during this pandemic. Please go to bit.ly/BirthdayForBreonna to find 10 different action items you can take to help bring Justice for Breonna. I've also added a direct link below.

<https://msha.ke/30flirtyfilm/>

* * *

Craig was drowning in paperwork. Before the beginning of every semester, Craig liked to approve when all the midterms and major papers would be due. He liked to avoid situations where every class had something big due in the same week. This way the stress was well spaced out throughout the semester. And teachers could avoid scheduling a midterm right before the Green Day dance or late evening labs on Ramadan. It was one small way he could ensure that as many Greendale students as possible had the best semester, relative to Greendale. 

He was in the middle of drafting an email to Professor Gutierrez about changing the Mandarin midterm a week back when his phone vibrated. Needing a break, he picked it up. An unknown number was asking him if he was busy right now. Craig tilted his head in confusion. Odd, he couldn’t remember handing his number out to any strangers recently. He sent a quick  _ Who’s this? _ and returned back to his email. 

Craig had barely typed another sentence when his phone buzzed again. He glanced down at the screen and nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the response:  _ Jeff Winger _ .

He snatched his phone off the table and stared at those two words for a while longer. He hadn’t seen much of Jeffrey since that night. There’d been one awkward staff meeting last week but that had been it. He furrowed his eyebrows and replied back:  _ Did you change your number? _

This time he impatiently stared at the screen instead of going back to work. 

_ Yeah...new phone, _ was the response. Craig immediately went about replacing Jeffrey’s old number in his existing contact. He noticed that Jeffrey’s contact photo was a bit outdated. He must have something more recent to replace it with. 

As he got lost in all the random photos he had of Jeffrey, another message came in:  _ So, are you busy? _

Craig glanced over at the time. It was 9:33 pm on a Wednesday night. He didn’t need to be a genius in order to know where this was going. 

_ Not at all. Did you want to come over? _

The sharp knock on his door less than a minute later was all the answer he needed. 

* * *

The third time they’d met to have sex, Jeffrey was in a particular mood to tease the hell out of him. They spent nearly an hour making out on his couch, grinding against each other. Every time Craig tried to unbuckle either of their belts, Jeffrey moved his hands away. He had no tricks up his sleeve to push Jeffrey to move faster. So he was stuck waiting until Jeffrey got tired of the teasing. He pushed Craig off him and stood up. Craig watched as Jeffrey slowly unbuttoned his shirt and even more slowly undid his belt. It was the simplest and yet hottest strip tease Craig had ever witnessed. 

By the time Jeffrey was down to his underwear, Craig feared that he might actually cum in his pants. He was vaguely aware that his mouth was hanging open and he was in danger of literally drooling over Jeffrey. He watched as Jeffrey’s long fingers ran down his hard cock. The moan that came out of his open mouth was completely understandable after more than an hour of teasing. 

Jeffrey chuckled. “You’re so desperate for my cock, aren’t you?” The arrogant and condescending tone was really what put it over the top. 

Craig enthusiastically responded “yes” at the same time Jeffrey said “Sorry.” 

They stopped and stared at each other for a few moments; the burning lust running through their veins was slowing down their brain power. 

“You...you don’t mind that?” Jeffrey asked tentatively. 

“Dirty talk? Not at all,” Craig answered, again enthusiastically. 

“Okay,” Jeffrey said. He swallowed thickly, his hand resuming lightly touching his cock. “Anything off limits?” 

This was something Craig didn’t have to ponder. “No homophobic slurs. No calling me a ‘girl’ in a derogatory way. I mean, slut, whore, bitch those are fine, encouraged even. But anything along the lines of implying I should be a girl is a no-no.” 

Jeffrey blinked down at him and Craig wished he would occasionally speak his mind rather than filter everything he said. It would be nice to know what Jeffrey was really thinking. “Alright, I can do that,” he finally said. He bit down on his lip. Craig could almost hear the debate going on in his head. “How do you, um, feel about...being bossed around?”

Craig was sure his breath hitching and body shivering with desire was answer enough but he still wanted to be clear. “Tell me to suck you off,” Craig said. 

Now it was Jeff who was having trouble breathing. Despite this, his voice was still deep and clear when he said, “Get on your knees and suck my dick.” 

* * *

Riding Jeffrey’s cock never got old. Craig was well practiced at the angles and rhythm that gave him the most pleasure. He leaned back and placed his hands on Jeffrey’s legs. He let his head fall back on a moan. 

“You look so good riding my cock,” Jeffrey praised. Craig shivered at the compliment. He clenched down around Jeffrey, gaining a deep groan for his efforts. Jeffrey’s hips stuttered up into him. “Fuck, you’re so tight around me. Begging me to cum inside of you.”

Craig moaned. “Not...not quite yet,” Craig responded. He wanted to drag this out as long as he could. This time Jeffrey’s thrust into Craig was very intentional and very precise. 

“And what if I say no,” Jeffrey teased. He gave another hard thrust to prove his point. Craig shifted with the force of the thrust and caught himself on Jeffrey’s chest. He quickly regained his balance and kept thrusting back on Jeffrey’s cock. He looked down at the gorgeous man below him. He ran one hand up his beautiful abs all the way to his well defined pec. Craig’s fingers lightly moved over his erect nipples and the moan that fell out of Jeffrey’s mouth was one of the hottest things he’d ever heard. Craig had his eyes glued to Jeffrey’s face as he teased his nipple again. Jeffrey arched off the bed, hips stuttering up into Craig again. 

Christmas had really come early this year. Craig shifted his weight so that he could continue his shallow thrusts while both hands tormented Jeffrey’s chest. 

“Fucking shit,” Jeffrey groaned. His hands moved to grip Craig’s hips, legs moving with no direction behind him. “For someone who-mmmm- wanted this to- fuck Craig!” Craig alternated between light touches and pinching Jeffrey’s nipples. He wanted to see what Jeffrey’s pain tolerance was. 

“You were saying something,” Craig asked, breathless. 

“Seriously, I’m not gonna last long,” Jeffrey got out in a breath. 

“What a pity,” Craig said. He pinched down particularly hard on both nipples. 

“Fucking fuck!” 

Suddenly, Craig was flipped onto his back. Jeffrey pinned his hands above his head. Craig had a moment to be disappointed, remembering the last time they were in this position. Yet being pinned down by Jeffrey and being stared down with so much lust quickly drove the idea out of his head. 

“I’m gonna fuck you into the mattress for that,” Jeffrey declared. Craig felt his body pulse with anticipation. Jeffrey kept his hands pinned as he entered him again. His other hand guided Craig’s leg to wrap around his waist. Craig happily complied. As Jeffrey began pounding into him, he buried his face in Craig’s neck, definitely leaving hickies. 

This was so much better than their first time. The thrusts were forceful and hitting deep into him. Jeffrey’s stomach was teasingly dragging against his penis in a way that was driving Craig crazy. Craig tested Jeffrey’s hold by trying to pull free. Jeffrey growled and tightened his hold, sending a burst of pleasure straight to Craig’s cock. He loved someone else taking control like this. He moaned out his satisfaction, feeling Jeffrey’s thrusts increase in pace as he did. His bed began to creak. Jeffrey seemed to have lost the ability to focus on kissing his neck. He groaned into Craig’s skin, lost in the pleasure. 

Craig suddenly felt a hand wrap around his cock. It took him a second to realize his hands were still pinned to the bed by Jeffrey. It took him another second to grasp the reality that Jeffrey was jerking him off. It wasn’t until that moment that Craig realized Jeffrey had paid very little attention to his cock throughout this little affair. It made sense; easier to ignore the fact that he was having sex with a woman if he avoided thinking about his partner’s penis. 

Jeffrey’s hand was larger than his was. There was little rhythm to it, more a desperate plea to get Craig to the edge. Luckily for Jeffrey, it was exactly what he needed. Craig closed his eyes as he came, feeling his cum fall all over his chest and Jeffrey’s hand. “Fuck yes,” Jeffrey mumbled in his ear. Craig whimpered at the idea that Jeffrey enjoyed making him cum. 

Craig was barely coming down from his high when Jeffrey came inside of him. He vaguely felt the pulsing of Jeffrey’s cock through the condom. Jeffrey let go of his wrists. He shifted onto his forearms so that his face was right above Craig’s. He smiled. “You’re gonna use that against me now, aren’t you?” Jeffrey asked. 

Craig’s heart was doing summersaults from something other than lust. He tried to reign his heart in and gave Jeffrey a teasing smile. His hand sneaked down to Jeffrey’s nipple, pinching hard. Jeffrey groaned and his eyes fell closed. He leaned down to kiss Craig hard and deep. Craig let himself get lost in what this was: sex. 

Nothing more. 

* * *

“I’m just going to blend out the edges of the pink and then I’ll use this shade to deepen up the crease…” 

Craig watched the tutorial on his laptop for a few more seconds and then hit pause. He turned back to his mirror and started brushing at the edges of the eyeshadow. He hummed along to the pop station he had playing in the background. It had been two weeks too many since he’d tried out a new makeup tutorial. This, and some margaritas he’d mixed earlier, was the perfect way to spend the last Saturday night before a new semester. 

So he was incredibly annoyed when he heard a knock at his door. That was quickly followed by panic. He wasn’t expecting anyone and he had a face half done with make-up. He really hadn’t mentally prepared to be out in public like this today. He could wipe it all off before answering the door. But he was halfway done and this was not cheap makeup; it would be such a waste. 

There was another knock on his door. “Craig,” a voice called out. 

Oh, it was Jeffrey. 

Wait, Jeffrey! Jeffrey who was barely comfortable touching Craig’s cock as long as he was not looking directly at it? Would it be bad or good if he saw Craig in a more feminine way right now? He was ready to ponder this dilemma longer when his phone began to ring. Of course it was Jeffrey. Craig jumped up and ran to his door. He yanked it open not knowing what to expect from the person on the other side. 

Craig was the one caught off guard by seeing Jeffrey in sweatpants and a loose tank top. Craig peeled his eyes away from Jeffrey’s casual attire and looked back up at his face. 

“My cable’s out. Can I use your TV?” 

He was positive that he’d missed Jeffrey’s reaction to his makeup while he was checking him out. Or Jeffrey was more than used to this from him by now. 

“Sure,” he finally said. He stood by to let Jeffrey in. It was odd. Jeffrey hadn’t spent anytime in his apartment without initiating sex. He watched Jeffrey sit on his couch and turn on the TV. It was...on the verge of being domestic. Craig swallowed. He was not the type of person to shove all their feelings inside and not feel them. So remaining calm was taking a lot of his energy. And when Jeffrey seemed to find what he was looking for and leaned back into the couch, Craig could barely make a note to freak out later over the fact that what had driven him to Craig’s apartment was an episode of  _ The Bachelor _ . 

“Speak of this to anyone and I’ll withhold sex,” Jeffrey warned. Craig made a noise that he hoped conveyed that he understood. 

He walked over to his temporary vanity and turned off his music. He hesitated next to the table. Should he continue what he was doing or join Jeffrey? He was more a  _ Dancing with the Stars _ kind of person. To buy himself some time he offered Jeffrey a margarita. Jeffrey gave a distracted response of yes, eyes glued to the TV. Craig was elated to get to see this side of Jeffrey. 

Craig fixed up Jeffrey’s drink and gave it to him. Seeing Jeffrey absorbed in his show, Craig grabbed his headphones and resumed with his makeup tutorial. He’d steal glances at Jeffrey occasional but for the most part, they both existed in their own little bubbles. 

He’d been concentrating so hard on getting his eyeliner right that he nearly jumped out of his seat when Jeffrey spoke. “Why do wo-people always make weird shapes with their mouths when they put on makeup?” 

Craig dabbed at his eye with a qtip, carefully removing the black smudge. “One, don’t talk to  _ people _ when they’re making those faces. It means a delicate act is being performed. Two, it helps with precision.” He looked over at Jeffrey and saw the questioning eyebrow raised. Craig tilted his head, remembering. “You’ve worn eyeliner before.” 

“Britta put it on,” Jeffrey said. “And I did not do a face.”

“You may not have but Britta probably did,” Craig responded. He glanced over at the TV. There was a random commercial playing but Craig had a feeling the show had ended already. 

“What’s the outfit you’re gonna put on?” 

“Sorry,” Craig asked, eyes back on Jeffrey. 

“Your outfit,” Jeffrey repeated.

“Oh...I hadn’t really planned on putting on an outfit. I was just practicing,” Craig said. 

“Why?” Jeffrey asked. His tone wasn’t mocking or snide. It sounded curious.

“It’s fun,” Craig replied, shrugging. There was a pause in the conversation where they looked at each other. Craig’s mind raced, desperate for something to say, something to keep Jeffrey in his apartment. “I actually have a dress that would match the eyeshadow.” Craig looked back at his mirror. The look was a light pink surrounding a deep, glittery blue on the lid with a yellow line on the crease. It was vibrant and pretty. His crease line needed more practice but he was satisfied. He’d only dabbed some shimmer onto his lips, not wanting to take any attention away from his eyes. There was a pink, backless halter dress that would make the colors of his eyeshadow pop. 

“Why not put it on?” 

Craig kept his eyes on himself in the mirror. Jeffrey’s tone was a practiced casual that Craig was familiar with. Was this Jeffrey’s goal? Did he think seeing Craig in a dress and makeup would finally disgust him enough to end whatever this was? Would Jeffrey laugh when he came out of his room? Would he call Craig names? 

Craig blinked his eyes multiple times. He stopped the anxiety spiral in its tracks. Jeffrey had seen him in all types of get ups over the years. And while his response had never been positive, he’d also not had an outwardly negative reaction either. 

“I think I will,” Craig finally announced. He was proud of his voice not shaking as he said that. He gave Jeffrey a quick smile before standing from his chair and heading to his bedroom. His closet at home wasn’t as crowded as the one on campus but he still had to do some shuffling in order to find the exact dress he’d been thinking of. He laid it down on his bed and then pulled off his clothes. He put the dress on, tying the knot at the back of his head. He gave a few twirls around his full length mirror and was very pleased with the results. Heels would help bring this outfit together. Craig quickly went back to his closet and grabbed the first pair of silver heels he could find. He decided against a wig; it would take too long to comb one to make it presentable. 

He walked out of his bedroom, heart beating a mile a minute. Jeffrey was standing next to the table, looking around at all the different makeup brushes he had, not sitting on the couch on his phone like Craig expected. Jeffrey looked up at the sound of Craig approaching. His eyes took in Craig’s entire outfit, slowly roaming down his body. Craig stopped arms distance away and forced himself to strike a pose, hands on hips. 

“What do you think?” he asked with as much nonchalance as he could muster. Jeffrey kept looking at him, not responding. Craig could barely hear anything over his beating heart. Jeffrey would say something polite and then make an excuse to leave immediately. He could say goodbye to the mindblowing sex with the literal Adonis living next door. 

“You…” Jeffrey began. He stopped and cleared his throat. “You look great. Very sexy.” 

“Oh,” Craig said, genuinely surprised. Emboldened by the fact Jeffrey hadn’t run, Craig did a slow turn, showing off his exposed back. “You really like it?” 

Without warning, Jeffrey pushed Craig against the wall, kissing him desperately. Craig’s mind was reeling with the turn the night had taken but his body instantly responded to Jeffrey’s desperate hands. He ran his hands up Jeffrey’s sides. For some reason, the feeling of soft cotton over Jeffrey’s toned muscles was exhilarating. Jeffrey’s hands moved to the backs of his thighs, pushing him up the wall, forcing Craig to wrap his legs around Jeffrey’s hips. They were a groaning, humping mess within minutes. 

“Bed,” Craig suggested in between pants. He was leaking in his underwear already. Craig couldn’t even reach down to rub himself because Jeffrey kept their bodies glued together.

“No,” Jeffrey responded. Yet contradicting his previous statement, he set Craig on his feet and took a step back. Craig had no time to worry that Jeffrey was going to leave him before Jeffrey asked where the closest bottle of lube was. Craig pointed to the side table next to the couch. 

Jeffrey quickly grabbed the bottle of lube and returned to Craig. “Turn around and take off your underwear,” Jeffrey ordered. If Craig had been hard before, now he was near bursting. Craig did as he was told, unnecessarily shimming his hips as he pulled off his underwear from under his dress. He had a moment to regret the fact that he hadn’t put on lace panties. “Hands on the wall,” Jeffrey said. Craig was only too happy to comply. As he heard Jeffrey open the bottle of lube, Craig realized Jeffrey was going to finger him open this time. He was positive that he was the one who was going to cum first tonight. 

Jeffrey’s warm hand pushed the skirt of his dress up to his hips. One hand kept the material out of his way while the other entered one finger into Craig’s entrance. Craig moaned. Jeffrey’s fingers were longer and thicker than what he had been expecting. The material of his dress was rubbing against his erection. 

“Hurry up,” Craig begged. 

“Since when do you give the orders around here,” Jeffrey asked. He leaned forward, chest covering Craigs back. He kissed up Craig’s neck, biting down on his earlobe. 

“Jeffrey,” Craig whined. Jeffrey responded by adding in a second finger. It wasn’t as thorough of a prep as Craig usually did on himself, but Craig was so horny he didn’t care. Besides, they’d had sex yesterday. Craig was bound to be looser than usual. “Please, fuck me,” Craig pleaded. Jeffrey panted into his ear, removing his fingers. There was a sound of plastic ripping. Good, Jeffrey had grabbed a condom with the lube. Because he didn’t think he could wait much longer. Unconsciously, Craig leaned forward, sticking out his ass towards Jeffrey. 

“You’re that desperate?” Jeffrey asked. He didn’t give Craig a chance to respond before he was pushing into him. They both groaned. Jeffrey began fucking him right away, mirroring Craig’s sense of urgency. 

“Yes, yes, Jeffrey,” Craig moaned. 

“Fuck, why are you so hot in this?” 

Craig’s heart stuttered. Not “why is this so hot?”. Not “why are you so hot?”. Why are  _ you  _ so hot in  _ this _ ? Did Jeffrey really understand what he was saying? That he found bald, skinny Craig hot in a pink halter dress and colorful makeup? 

“Do you want to-ugh-dissect that  _ now _ ?” Craig moaned. 

“No,” Jeffrey responded. He placed one hand on the wall next to Craig’s. Jeffrey leaned more of his weight on him, crowding him. Craig brought another hand back to grip at Jeffrey’s hair, pulling him closer. 

It had to be a record short fuck for them. Though consequently also one of the most intense orgasms they’d shared. And Jeffrey was not done with Craig and the dress. Within the hour, they were fucking again, this time on a bed. 

Craig lay on his bed, hours later, completely spent. It had been a crazy night of firsts for them. First time he saw Jeffrey in casual clothing. First time Jeffrey saw him all dolled up. First time Jeffrey fingered him. 

Craig turned his head to look at the peacefully sleeping man beside him. 

First time Jeffrey had slept in Craig’s bed. 

* * *

The Dean was pissed at him. And honestly, Jeff couldn’t blame him. He’d set up an illegal bar in the school’s basement, encouraged a school-wide binge drinking day which ended in Annie being hospitalized, and had purposefully distracted the Dean from all of this with the idea of more school dances. Jeff would be ignoring his calls too. 

Yet he stood outside Craig’s door, debating whether he should knock or not. He could hear a muffled voice on the other side of the door. Craig was definitely home. Jeff turned towards his door. He didn’t need to have sex tonight. And with the way the Dean had yelled at him at school, sex probably wasn’t even on the table. Jeff paused, hand on the doorknob. He could definitely convince the Dean to have sex with him. All he’d have to do would be barge in there and strip down. Craig would not resist him. He remembered back to the dazed look Craig would get when Jeff was naked, mouth half open, practically drooling. 

Jeff groaned. He lightly hit his head on the door. The memory alone was making him hard. Now he wanted sex. He turned back, looking at Craig’s door. He should walk right past that door and head to the nearest bar. A straight bar where he’d find himself a young, willing woman to have sex with. That’s what he would do. 

He started down the hallway, completely determined. Yet when Jeff passed by Craig’s door he stopped. This was stupid. Craig wouldn’t stay mad at him forever and they could go back to having casual sex every now and then. Though...was four times a week really casual? Yeah, totally. The sex was great. Obviously he’d want to do it often. The sex was so good that on one occasion he was too exhausted to make it back to his apartment. It was a  _ very _ long walk, right?

This was getting too complicated. He had to stop. Mind made up, Jeff continued down the hallway. He made it about seven feet before he did a 180, walked right up to Craig’s door and knocked. 

Jeff heard Craig walk towards the door and then swing it open. Craig saw him standing there, phone glued to his ear. Craig frowned at him and moved to close the door but Jeff threw his hand out to stop him. “Can we talk?” Jeff asked. 

Craig stared at him for a long moment, before speaking into the phone, “I’ll call you back in the morning.” He hung up the phone and redoubled his attempt to close the door in Jeff’s face. Jeff was surprised by the strength behind the effort. 

“Seriously?” Jeff complained. 

“I am not in the mood,” Craig said. 

“Look, I’m sorry, alright?” 

“Oh, that’s very sincere, Jeffrey.”

“Can we-would you let me in!” 

With a quick side step, Craig moved away from the door. Jeff barreled forward, almost falling on his face. He straightened quickly and turned back to the Dean, ready to start yelling. He stopped himself in time. He was here to apologize. It would make his life immensely easier if the Dean was in a good mood and willing to bend the rules for him. He took a deep breath. 

“So, what did you want to say?” Craig demanded, closing the door. 

“I said I was sorry. Things got out of hand,” Jeff replied.

“Out of hand?” Craig asked, scandalized. “Out of hand is Taco Tuesdays in the cafeteria. Greendale does out of hand on the regular, thank you very much. This! This was too far.” 

“I know,” Jeff replied. 

“The school is being sued. We need a new professor for Ladders; you’ll be hard pressed to find someone else as enthusiastic about the subject as he was!” 

There were a long list of sarcastic remarks he could make about how stupid a class like “Ladders” was, but he filed them away for another day. “How can I help?” Jeff asked. 

“Help! You?” Craig exclaimed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You don’t help, Jeffrey. Not unless it secretly benefits you somehow. No, your thing is starting secret ‘20s themed bars. And for your information, I look great in a flapper girl outfit.”

Jeff stared, incredulous. “Is that why you’re pissed at me?” he yelled.

“No,” Craig screamed back. “I’m upset because the first week back has been a disaster.” He paused, a pout forming on his lips. “Though an invitation couldn’t have hurt.” 

“Unbelievable,” Jeff scoffed. “How exactly was I supposed to invite you when you’d been avoiding me all week?” It had driven him mad. Even when he wasn’t about to complain about Frankie, the Dean had avoided Jeff like the plague. 

“That’s hardly the point here,” Craig evaded. 

“Really? How many student phone’s did you confiscate this week?”

“This is not about me! This is about you and your rule breaking,” Craig said.

“What are you gonna do? Punish me?” 

Jeff hadn’t meant that to come off as a come on. He really hadn’t. But the blush on the Dean’s cheeks told him that their minds had gone to the same place. Jeff could feel his dick taking interest in the conversation. 

“I could suspend you,” Craig threatened. But Jeff knew all the bravado had left him. All he needed was a little push and Craig would be putty in his hands.

“Or you could spank me,” Jeff commented casually. Craig leaned back a little, shocked at Jeff’s bluntness. Jeff took a step towards him and then another. The Dean mirrored his actions, stepping back each time Jeff stepped forward. “Though you’d probably preferred to be the one spanked.” He watched closely as Craig swallowed. He took another deliberate step forward. “Maybe I could be the one on my knees this time instead.” Another step and the back of the Dean’s legs hit his sofa. He fell with a small sound of surprise. Jeff wasted no time in dropping to his knees in front of Craig.

“Jeffrey,” Craig breathed. Jeff reached out to undo Craig’s belt. He unbuttoned Craig’s pants. How had he gotten here? He wasn’t really about to go through with this. His hand grazed Craig’s hard dick and Craig whimpered above him. More determined, Jeff pulled Craig’s dick out of his underwear. He stared, running his hand up the length. “You don’t...I mean, I don’t expect you to…”

Jeff locked eyes with the Dean. It hadn’t escaped his attention that Craig politely ignored the fact that Jeff hardly ever touched his dick. At first it had been very purposeful. Jeff’s self denial was strong. He knew he was fucking another man. But if he avoided...reciprocating certain acts, Jeff could twist it in his mind that he wasn’t actually gay. Or bi or pan; some of his Google searches had confused him more than helped him. So Jeff had kept it a one way street on some sex acts. Until he hadn’t wanted to anymore. Jerking Craig off had been a spur of the moment thing, lost in the haze of lust. But curiosity to know what it felt like to have his fingers inside of Craig had won out weeks ago. That had been deliberate. And he’d been psyching himself up to do this for a while now too. The moment just happened to present itself. 

Instead of answering Craig, Jeff began pumping Craig’s dick. He watched as Craig bit down on his bottom lip. Jeff looked back down. He tentatively opened his lips and took the head of Craig’s penis in his mouth. It was odd. The skin was soft but Craig was incredibly hard. The little whine Craig made above him encouraged Jeff. He tried recalling all the blowjobs he’d had over the years. He honestly couldn’t remember many details. He’d never been concerned with technique as long as it felt good. Jeff tried to take more of Craig in his mouth, knowing at the very least to make sure teeth weren’t involved. He slowly moved back up to the tip, trying to find a rhythm. Jeff felt stupid. He was over 40 but showing the skills of a teenager. He wished he’d given in and watched some videos on this. 

“Um,” Craig spoke up. Jeff felt his stomach drop. Was he really that bad at this? Jeff sat back, looking up at Craig. There were a dozen retorts on the tip of his tongue. Some of them were more biting than others and Jeff was angry that he was so ready to hurt Craig simply because he was embarrassed. “Use..use your tongue a bit more. And...maybe hollow your cheeks when you move up?” Craig’s voice was small. It made Jeff realize that he was glaring. Jeff tried to smooth out his facial expression. Craig wasn’t making fun of him. He would never do that, not with any malice at least. 

Jeff took in Craig’s words and tried again. He took Craig in his mouth and pressed his tongue to the underside of his dick. It took a few bobs of his head before he remembered to hollow out his cheeks. Craig’s sharp intake of breath was telling. Jeff continued to make a valiant attempt at a half decent blowjob. He pulled back enough so he could swirl his tongue around the head. He attempted to take Craig in deeper but apparently his choking reflex was sensitive. Craig reached up to stroke his hair as Jeff coughed. “Don’t push yourself,” Craig said. The caresses and soft tone of voice kept Jeff’s ego at bay. 

He continued with the blowjob, using his hand on the part that wasn’t in his mouth. Eventually he got a good rhythm, Craig’s moans and breathless words encouraging Jeff. Of course, he wished he had been an expert at this from the get go. But Craig was responsive enough to stoke his ego even as he fumbled. His legs were going numb when Craig’s hand pushed against his shoulder. “I-I’m close,” Craig said. Jeff didn’t fight him and pulled away, hand still jerking him off. Jeff moved onto the couch, kissing Craig. He pushed his tongue into Craig’s mouth. Craig moaned. Knowing that Craig was tasting himself on Jeff’s tongue was oddly satisfying. As was the feeling of Craig cumming all over Jeff’s hand. 

* * *

The Dean gasped. “Oh...my god, it’s incredible,” he exclaimed.  _ So is my dick, _ Jeff thought. He looked up from the manual at the Dean in his odd little VR contraption. “I can see all around!” The Dean gasped again. Then quickly became fascinated with the fact that he was walking. Jeff’s shoulders shook, trying to contain his laughter. This had to be the most Dean thing that Craig had ever done. 

The Dean gasped again. Jeff shifted in his seat. If Craig kept making those noises, Jeff would have a different problem to deal with. “Hiiiiiya!” Craig yelled, moving his hand as if he was throwing something. “I can set the time zone!”

“And my phone does that automatically,” Jeff replied sarcastically.

“Let me see if I can make the font bigger!” Craig then proceeded to attempt to “zoom in” with exaggerated body movements. Jeff looked on in shock and then looked away. He was not finding this adorable or endearing. Absolutely not. The Dean was a loveable goofball but that did not mean that Jeff should get urges to kiss his head and find his childish wonderment amusing or charming. The warm feeling in his chest needed to disappear. “The font is bigger. And Jesus wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer!” 

Yeah, that certainly helped matters.

* * *

“I’ll never get out of here, will I?” 

“I haven’t met many that do,” the Dean replied. “Let’s walk arm in arm.” 

Jeff let Craig guide him back towards the school, arm on his back. The idea of being stuck at Greendale was unsettling. He used to be a rich lawyer. He only ever looked out for himself and always did the bare minimum of work, taking a shortcut wherever possible. Yet Greendale had brought him to people that taught him it was good to care. And for Greendale, Jeff put in a lot of effort to keep it afloat. He knew he couldn’t go back to being a ruthless lawyer. So maybe staying at Greendale wasn’t the worst outcome possible. 

“Hey, you guys order delivery?” 

Craig and Jeff turned to see the twenty something delivery boy holding out the take out bag. “Oh yeah, I did,” Jeff responded. He’d almost forgotten about that. 

“You ordered from that little Italian place? It’s my favorite,” Craig swooned as he grabbed the take out. Jeff paid for the food and turned back to the Dean. 

“I know,” Jeff said. The Dean looked up at him surprised. Jeff resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had to admit that he wasn’t known for being a considerate person. 

They decided to eat the food in the Dean’s office, not wanting it to get cold on the way back to their apartment building. The meal was surprisingly nice. Jeff couldn’t remember if him and Craig had shared a meal, just the two of them, since the blackmail incident. The conversation was light. Jeff complained about a few of his students; Craig complained about paperwork.

“Oh! I thought it might be fun to do a masquerade ball or something next month. It’s been ages since we had a dance,” Craig lamented.

“How are you gonna get that by Frankie?” Jeff asked. 

“I am technically still the dean here,” Craig said. But Jeff saw him deflate a little. Craig looked over at his closet filled to the brim with outfits longingly. Jeff followed his line of sight. 

The question was on the tip of his tongue. Why did Craig enjoy dressing up in women’s clothing? Jeff had noticed the slow progression of it. It had started with some crazy costumes, all still traditionally for men. Then slowly the Dean would use the excuse that “he got it from his sister”. He wasn’t sure if anyone believed that for a second. At some point, the Dean had stopped making up excuses for why he had certain outfits and gone full out on...whatever you’d call this. While Jeff was a strong proponent that people should be allowed to live their lives however they wanted, he had been curious. Even in Greendale, with all its weirdos and outcasts, the Dean would occasionally get a negative comment thrown his way. Hell, Jeff had certainly been embarrassed by the Dean’s choice of outfits plenty of times. But the Dean had never let that phase him. Not outwardly at least. Other people’s opinions had never stopped him from continuing to dress up in his crazy outfits. So what was it about the outfits that the Dean enjoyed so much?

Jeff looked over at Craig who was picking his food. He could ask him now. They were...friends, sort of. They were alone and unlikely to be interrupted by anyone. He knew he could be respectful about whatever the answer was. 

“What’s your favorite outfit?” Jeff asked instead. He didn’t want to break the lighthearted mood. It was also worth it to see the way Craig’s eyes lit up with excitement. He jumped out of his seat and started rummaging through his closet. 

“It’d have to be between the Catwoman outfit ooooor...the red ball gown,” Craig said, pulling out the skirt of the gown and fanning it over his hip. 

“How much money has gone into that closet?” Jeff wondered. 

“Do you really want to compare what we spend on clothing?” the Dean deadpanned. 

“Touche.”

“Thought so,” Craig said. He sat back down at his seat. 

“You haven’t dressed up much this semester,” Jeff realized. He looked back over the past few weeks and couldn’t recall a single day the Dean had strayed from his usual short sleeved button up and brown pants. 

“Oh, well,” the Dean shrugged nonchalantly.

Jeff frowned. Even before they’d had sex, Jeff would be able to tell something was off with that overly casual shrug. “Is there a reason for that?” 

“No, not at all. It’s late. We should head out.” Craig started collecting all their trash, eyes avoiding Jeff’s. And then Jeff got this horrible, twisty feeling in his stomach that he’d come to recognize as guilt. 

“Am I the reason for it?” Jeff asked. That wasn’t possible. Okay, he’d never encouraged or complimented the Dean on his outfits. But he’d also never said anything negative about them. Had he? Either way, after Jeff fucked the Dean in that pretty pink dress wouldn’t that make it clear that he was fine with...that?

Craig let out a long sigh. “No, it wasn’t you Jeffrey.” He looked down at his hands and Jeff began to think he’d lied. “I...I saw my father right before the semester started.” Jeff furrowed his brows. He wasn’t really connecting the dots on that one. Craig glanced up at him and noticed the confusion on his face. “It takes a while, after I visit him to...feel like myself again.” 

Jeff wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but he got the gist of it. “Fathers suck,” he commented. 

Craig let out a surprised chuckle. “No arguments here.” 

They silently packed up their dinner. Before they left the office though, Jeff commented “That leopard print looks interesting.” 

The fact that the Dean strolled into the study room with that exact same outfit the next day did  _ not  _ make Jeff oddly proud. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a resident of LA county and in response to Mayor Garcetti's comments that George Floyd died "so that we may take sense of our future to make sure that we never see that again" I'd like to share Blair Amadeus Imani's response:
> 
> "Emmett Till did not 'need to die' for the Civil Rights Movement to happen.  
> Trayvon Martin did not 'die for' the birth of Black Lives Matter.  
> George Floyd did not 'die for' America to rise up.   
> Stop saying shit like this. It's poison."
> 
> "STOP SAYING BLACK DEATH IS NECESSARY FOR PROGRESS. WE ARE NOT MARTYRS. WE WANT TO LIVE."   
> \- @BlairImani on twitter and instagram


	3. I'm Yours to Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff is coming to terms with the fact that he is developing feelings for Craig. Before he gets a chance to decide what he wants, the group finds out about them. And then...Domingo. 
> 
> Scenes from S6E3 & 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minneapolis City Council has announced that they will be "disbanding" the police department. While there are still no details about what that means, I hope it is the first big step towards defunding police and focusing on our money on education, housing, healthcare, services that actually help people! It's good to see everyone's efforts paying off. We still have a long road ahead so keep protesting, learning, posting, and donating. 
> 
> PS: Fuck JK Rowling. Trans rights are human rights.

Jeff sat down in his usual seat. It was three in the morning and he needed coffee. This whole attack ad thing better wrap up soon. He pulled out his phone to mindlessly scroll through. 

_ It’s very sexy to see you in action _ , Craig texted him. 

Without looking up or giving anything away on his face, Jeff replied back:  _ Sexy would be you on your knees under this table, sucking me off. _

_ We should sneak into the study room some other night _ ,  _ then. _

_ Earlier than this, please. _

_ Aw, did you have to waste your night cream? _

_ Yes! People think I wake up looking this pretty… _

_ You’re the prettiest person in any room ;) _

_ Flattery will get you everywhere. _

_ Oh, I know. You’re such a slut for compliments.  _

Jeff snorted before he could stop himself. He felt both pairs of eyes on him. He coughed into his hand, trying to play it off. 

“Abed, need help with the ad?” he asked. Abed gave him a funny look, as if trying to piece together what plot point he’d missed. Luckily, Abed let it slide. 

* * *

“What would you say if I ditched my last two classes of the day?”

“Jeffrey, you’re a teacher. You can’t ditch your own classes,” Craig explained, not looking up from his paperwork. 

“How do you have the energy to do anything right now?” Jeff walked into the room. He let himself fall on the Dean’s couch, fighting to keep his eyes open. 

“We did good work today,” he replied, voice chipper. He gave Jeff a big smile before turning back to his work. “And I masturbated earlier,” Craig mumbled under his breath, loud enough for Jeff to hear. 

It took a minute for his sleepy brain to process what had been said. “And you didn’t invite me?” Jeff was very offended. 

“You get sleepy after...you know,” Craig reasoned. 

“And you don’t?” 

“No,” Craig replied. 

Jeff had so many questions but his eyes were burning, begging him to sleep. He leaned his head back on the couch. 

“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you in time for your next class,” Craig suggested. 

Jeff should say no. It would raise too many questions if he was caught napping on the Dean’s couch. But both of the Dean’s doors had locks...and he had been woken up at an ungodly hour today. Jeff looked back at Craig. “Join me?” he asked. 

The surprised look Craig gave him made Jeff panic. Had he really asked him to take a nap together? No sex or horniness? “I don’t think we’d both fit on there,” Craig said. He eyed the couch, unconvinced. Jeff tried to hide his disappointment. Because he wasn’t disappointed. He had no reason to be. 

“Suit yourself.” Jeff stretched out on the couch. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. And while he was exhausted, his heart was racing. That had been a stupid move to make. This wasn’t...a relationship. And Jeff didn’t want it to be one. He didn’t want to have to be held accountable to someone or have any expectations placed on him. He liked his life the way it was now. 

Though, now, his life involved a lot more of Craig Pelton than Jeff had ever thought he’d want. And that was all he wanted. He’d tried the relationship thing with Slater years back. It had ended with Jeff, surprisingly enough, broken hearted and resentful for the time he wasted. All those hours watching that ridiculous show with the singing and teenage drama. Before he could stop himself, he wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship with Craig. The sex, as he knew, was incredible. And Craig’s sex drive matched his fairly well. But what would a regular night for them be like, before/after the sex? Cuddling up on the couch watching a movie? Jeff knew that he could get the Dean to watch whatever he wanted. So Craig would be left to snuggle up next to him, disinterested in the movie, probably falling asleep halfway through. And he’d end up drooling on Jeff’s shoulder or with his head in Jeff’s lap. And Jeff would be stuck carrying him to their bed and tucking him in. Craig was a cuddler and always cold so he’d instinctively wrap himself around Jeff and why wasn’t any of this repulsive to him!

He shifted slightly on the couch. He was supposed to be sleeping. He heard Craig get up from his seat. Jeff tried his hardest to keep his breathing even as Craig moved to close the door leading to the hallway. Then Craig clumsily attempted to join Jeff on the small couch. Jeff tried to keep perfectly still as he heard and felt Craig moving over him, being careful not to knee him. Within seconds, Craig lost his balance and collapsed against Jeff. Jeff laughed as he felt half of Craig’s body weight on him, one of his legs still on the floor. 

“I guess you were right,” Jeff said lightly.

“Help,” Craig asked. Jeff fought back a smile as he manhandled Craig till they were comfortably spooning, Craig’s face against the back of the couch and his back pressed tightly against Jeff’s chest. Jeff wrapped his arms securely around Craig, telling himself that if he fell off the couch, at least he’d take Craig with him. 

Jeff stared at the back of Craig’s bald head. He wondered if that had been a choice or not. Jeff realized he had a lot of questions about Craig’s life. Why did you like wearing outrageous outfits? What kind of relationship did him and his father have? Did he really have a sister? He’d never been particularly curious about anyone’s personal life. As long as he knew enough to be able to manipulate someone into doing what he wanted, that was enough for him. And when he’d go on dates, he’d never really pay attention to the responses his dates would give. So why was he always biting his tongue around the Dean, holding in his curiosity? 

He closed his eyes, settling into the couch. He really was incredibly tired. And the Dean’s even breathing was lulling him to sleep. Without much strength to keep his thoughts in check, he started wondering what Craig looked like as a kid and why he chose to major in education. 

Jeff didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until an annoying alarm woke him up. He felt around for the annoying buzzing. Eventually he found the Dean’s phone in his front pocket. He fished it out and silenced the alarm. He had about ten minutes to get to his class. The Dean groaned next to him. Jeff buried his face in his neck, nuzzling him with his nose. “You set an alarm?” he grumbled.

“Obviously,” the Dean replied.

“Don’t wanna get up,” Jeff complained. He was incredibly comfortable laying on a very old and very small couch.

Craig wiggled his hips. “Seems like one part of you is already up,” the Dean teased. Jeffrey groaned, pushing his hips into the Dean. They technically did not have a rule against sex at school. He reached his hand over to fumble with the Dean’s belt.

“Jeffrey,” the Dean warned. 

Jeff was not deterred by the Dean’s tone. As soon as he got his hands on him the Dean would- 

A cough rang through the room. Jeff’s eyes snapped open, whole body tense. The Dean and him turned to look at the door, Jeff barely staying on the couch. At the Dean’s unlocked door stood Annie, Abed, Britta and Frankie. He hardly had time to take in their expressions with how much he was panicking at that moment. 

This was really not good. 

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the thing that ended his...arrangement with the Dean had not been the group finding out. Though it had sure seemed like the group finding out was going to be the main issue. 

Abed had had the most startling reaction. Not only because he  _ had  _ a reaction to Jeff’s sex life but because it involved a high pitched screaming. Abed had gone on and on about how this wasn’t supposed to happen. That Jeff should have secretly been dating Annie this whole time and they would be the two awkwardly caught one day. Or at the very least had had a fling with Frankie. Abed was insistent that this was out of character and didn’t fit the plot. Jeff had snapped at him that TV was not life and life was sometimes messier and more complicated than TV. They didn’t see much of Abed for the next few days. Britta said he was wholed up in his room watching something. When Jeff next saw Abed, he apologized for snapping at him. Abed had said it was alright. That this experience had opened his eyes to how he had been subconsciously affected by the heteronormativity of mainstream media and he needed to expand his consumption in order to better understand LGBTQ characters. Jeff refrained from pointing out he was not a character to be analyzed. Sometimes keeping the peace was better for his sanity than being right.

Annie...Annie did not deal with shock or disappointment well and therefore said one of the most cruel things of all: “You’re with  _ him _ ?” Jeff knew that if Annie had been a guy, he would’ve punched that guy. The disgust and confusion was pretty evident in her voice. But Annie wasn’t a guy and Abed was in the middle of listing off movies and his brain couldn’t decide if he was supposed to be making everyone believe that this wasn’t what it looked like or telling them all it was none of their business. So in the moment he said nothing. And in the days to come, he could barely bring himself to talk to Annie. Britta said that Annie had apologized profusely to the Dean but that didn’t take away the guilt Jeff felt for not speaking up in that moment. The Dean had physically flinched at Annie’s question and yet Jeff had been too caught up to show him any comfort. 

Frankie had luckily been the one to speak after Annie’s slip. “Wait, you didn’t know they were together?” Everyone’s shocked expression let her know that this was all news to them. “Oh, I thought it was obvious. So this is rather new? Have you filled out a form yet?” Jeff was swiftly falling into a panic now. Not that blasted consent form again! Absolutely not. It had been the end to what he and Slater had so many years ago. And while now he could not see the end to that relationship as a bad thing, he was not about to have it end what he had with Craig. So he stood up and gave a long speech about how it was discriminatory to make either of them declare who their sexual partner was because then they would inadvertently be declaring themselves as not straight. And that would open them up to discrimination in the workplace and if Frankie forced them to do this, she would be complicit in that discrimination. There was a long pause where Frankie and Jeff stared each other down. “Fill out the form but I won’t file it.” It was the best compromise he could hope to get from her. And with everything else that happened over the next few days, Jeff didn’t have the energy or time to ask how she had known him and Craig were sleeping together. 

Britta was mercifully silent during the chaos, possibly because Annie and Frankie’s declarations had shocked her into silence. Of course, she did Britta the whole thing later on. She cornered him in his office the next day with Pride paraphernalia telling him that she was really happy he’d finally discovered who he was and if he could please tell her that she wasn’t the last woman he had sex with, that would be awesome too. He’d rudely kicked her out of his office and threw all the crap she’d bought in the trash. 

Why was everyone assuming he was gay now? He still checked out women whenever the opportunity presented itself. While sex with Craig was probably the best he’d ever had, he wasn’t opposed to having sex with women again. He didn’t have the need to though. Craig kept him thoroughly satisfied. Did he want to have sex with other men? That question was harder to answer. He had attempted to answer it. Jeff had tried to pay more attention to the men on the TV shows or movies he watched. He tried to imagine himself with someone like Ryan Gosling or Cristiano Ronaldo. But he got this ugly sensation in his stomach whenever he did. He’d shrugged it off and told himself it meant he wasn’t gay. Now he worried it meant that he couldn’t even think of himself with anyone else other than Craig. 

Jeff was swiftly becoming more and more aware of all the ways his feelings for Craig were not simply platonic and horny. The whole group had found out now (Elroy had given him an odd pat on the shoulder and he wanted to bleach his brain after the questions Chang had for him). And Jeff still wanted to keep seeing Craig. Jeff had thought some time to cool off was what they both needed. Because Craig had been visibly sad and quiet after the group left his office. He’d gone so far as to ask Jeff to leave too. Jeff was relieved with the opportunity to not face the problem immediately. He thought a few days of really thinking about what he wanted was best for the both of them. Then the stupid press conference happened. 

He was standing in the back of the comically small room, unexpectedly proud of the Dean. Being on the school board was something he clearly wanted and it would be a huge step for his career. Craig didn’t look terribly excited at that moment but Jeff assumed it was just nerves.

“...and I wanted to thank all of the people at Greendale who helped me achieve this. And, uh, my partner, Domingo.” 

Jeff looked over at Frankie, who seemed equally confused as he was. 

“I’m very proud of my Craig,” Domingo said into the mic. And then he kissed the top of Craig’s head. What the hell? Who was this guy? 

“Jeff? Did you know about this?” Frankie asked under her breath. But Jeff couldn’t answer. They’d never been exclusive. That had not been part of their rules. Who the hell was this guy? Jeff had never seen him before. He was so busy glaring at Domingo that he had no idea why one of the members of the school board now had his arm around Craig’s shoulders. Seriously? Could no one keep their hands to themselves today?

Jeff didn’t know he had decided to storm out of the press room until he was slamming the door to his office shut. His heart was racing and he felt an incredible urge to punch something. The Dean had asked his advice on whether or not to take the position and yet he had failed to mention that his boyfriend was going to make an appearance as well? For weeks, months even, he’d been questioning his sexuality and his feelings for Craig all to find out that he was...a side piece?

Fine, if what Craig wanted was to be on the school board and be out about his relationship, Jeff wasn’t going to stand in his way. 

* * *

Jeff walked into his office the next morning to see Abed, Annie, and Britta hunched over his desk. “Why are you all dressed in black and is that a blowtorch?” 

“It is,” Abed replied, holding it up so Jeff could see it better. 

“Frankie told us what happened at the news conference yesterday,” Britta said. “The whole school is talking about it.”

“We’re so sorry Jeff,” Annie added. “I know we acted horribly when we first found out but we really only want you to be happy.”

“So we’re planning to break into Domingo’s apartment in search of evidence,” Abed added. “We have to be quick though because I have a nest of baby birds to watch over.”

Jeff looked at them and when it became clear they were done spewing nonsense, he said, “Annie, I forgive you. Abed, put the blowtorch down, slowly. Britta, what the fuck?” 

“We’re not gonna let the Dean make a fool out of you,” Britta replied. 

“The Dean didn’t-”

“Jeff, Frankie told us how upset you were yesterday,” Annie said. “This might make you feel better. And, also, Abed is only holding it together because he says the Dean cheating on you has to be an opportunity for us to reveal that Domingo is actually brainwashing the Dean because he’s an evil villain which leads us to heroically find the evidence in his dark lair, aka his apartment, and rescue the Dean.”

Jeff looked over at Abed who did seem a bit more tense than he normally was. A small part of Jeff wanted to yell that if anyone was barely holding it together, it was him and he didn’t have the energy to walk on eggshells with other people’s feelings today. 

“The Dean did not cheat on me,” Jeff declared. “We were never a ‘thing.’ We were having sex, no strings attached. The Dean can date whoever he wants. If anyone was cheated on, it may or may not have been Domingo. I don’t know when they started seeing each other.” 

There was a silence after his explanation. Jeff was eager to reach into his bottom cabinet and poor himself a stiff drink. It was getting harder and harder to act like what he said wasn’t cutting a knife into his heart. 

“So you and the Dean were having a steamy office affair,” Abed said. “And maybe Domingo finds out one day. And him and the Dean have a huge fight. The school is split, taking sides-”

“Abed,” Jeff warned. 

“Sorry,” Abed said. “So we aren’t sneaking into Domingo’s apartment?” 

“No,” Jeff replied.

“Cool. Cool, cool, cool. I have to get back to the birds.” Abed said goodbye and walked out of Jeff’s office.

“Is that supposed to be code for something?” Jeff asked the girls.

“I’m not entirely sure yet,” Annie replied. She looked up at him with her big doe eyes. 

“Soooo, you and the Dean are done now?” Britta asked. 

“Yeah, we’re done.”

Annie and Britta exchanged a look and then they were both hugging him. He let out a sigh. “Is this your way of making me straight again?” Jeff joked. Because the alternative was breaking down crying and Jeff was not going to do that again. 

Britta and Annie released him with comments of “ew” and “gross”. They gathered up their things, including schematics of what he assumed was Domingo’s apartment. Annie stopped at the door. “You’re really okay?” Annie asked. 

“You’re gonna be late to class,” Jeff said. Saying anything other than “no” would’ve been a lie. He thought Annie would keep insisting, but she gave him a sad smile and walked out of his office. 

Jeff fell into his seat with a deep sigh. He reached for his glass and bottle of scotch and poured himself a drink. His door opened again and Abed walked in. The scotch would have to wait. 

“Abed, I’m really not-”

“The Dean loves you, Jeff,” Abed declared. Jeff swallowed thickly. The Dean was obsessed with him, infatuated with the idea of Jeff. Love was...something too serious. “He loves you to the point where he might be satisfied having only a physical relationship with you for as long as you allowed it. So it doesn’t make sense that the Dean would secretly be dating someone else behind your back. And before you say anything, the last time I thought the Dean had been switched with another person, I was right. Something’s not adding up here. That’s all I wanted to say.” 

Abed left as quickly as he had arrived. Jeff picked up his drink, needing to escape the turmoil in his mind and heart. But...Abed  _ had _ been right before. And if they’d all listened to Abed from the beginning then the Dean wouldn’t have had to spend literal months locked up. Jeff put his drink back on his desk, untouched. He grabbed his phone and started stalking Domingo on social media. Something wasn’t adding up. 

* * *

Jeff knocked on Craig’s door later that night. He was fairly certain he’d figured it out. Domingo had been a drama student at Greendale a few years back. He’d had crappy jobs at some local theaters throughout the years. But if his affirmation posts were anything to go by, Domingo was craving something bigger. And how better to get his face on the front cover of every local newspaper than to be the Dean’s partner. Domingo would definitely be eager for the role. And it made sense for the Dean to reach out to him and solidify his “coming out” to the public. It still didn’t explain why the Dean never even mentioned this to Jeff. 

Jeff had stormed over to Craig’s apartment. He had every intention to demand an explanation for this. It never even occurred to him that maybe Craig didn’t owe him anything. They could loosely be classified as friends before everything started between them. But Jeff was jealous and hurt and trying to hide both of those facts.

So when Domingo opened the door, Jeff was one second away from punching his pretty face before he caught himself. When had he become so violent?

“Can I help you?” Domingo asked. 

“Is Craig here?” Jeff bit out. Jeff was starting to wonder if he’d made a huge mistake by coming here. It was 8 pm and Domingo was in Craig’s apartment. He racked his mind for an excuse for his being there as Domingo called for Craig. 

The Dean showed up in his adorable blue pajamas. “Jeffrey, what can I do for you?” Craig asked. He sounded surprised but not at all worried about having been caught with Domingo in his apartment. 

“I have a...salsa emergency.” Jeff lied. So many years outside of a courthouse was making him rusty. “Can you come help with that?” 

“Oh, sure thing,” Craig said. Without a backwards glance at Domingo, Craig followed Jeff the few steps to his apartment. Once Jeff shut the door, he turned towards the Dean ready to interrogate him. But the Dean was already across his living room, shutting his blinds. 

“What-”

“Shh!” Craig pulled out his phone and started playing some Lady Gaga album. He walked back over to Jeff. “Okay, now we can talk in private,” Craig whispered. 

“Are you-”

“Shh,” Craig shushed him again. “You wouldn’t believe how crazy the press can be. Have to be safe.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that the press would be spying on you?” Jeff whispered back. “You’re the dean of a community college!”

“I’m the Dean of Greendale and if you think the students there aren’t crazy enough to stake out your apartment, then I don’t know what Greendale you’ve been going to these past five years.”

“Fair enough,” Jeff conceded. 

“I had pizza the other day and they ran a whole op-ed about how I hated minority cuisine,” Craig complained. 

“Is Domingo staying at your place so you could better keep up the farce of your relationship?” 

“Yes, it’s been a horrible week,” Craig said. And to Jeff’s utter horror the Dean broke down crying. And not any stage crying but full blown tears and sobbing. “All the lying and expectations and-” a sob tore through Craig. Jeff went to him and wrapped his arms around trembling shoulders. “I’m a fake.” Craig sobbed into his shoulder. Jeff rubbed his back. He wasn’t sure what would make Craig feel better at that moment. Jeff kept his arms wrapped around the Dean tightly. He started making comforting shhing noises as he stroked the Dean’s back. 

Jeff let Craig cry his eyes out on his shoulder. Once Craig was down to sniffling lightly and he wasn’t shaking, Jeff grabbed his arms and pulled him back so Jeff could make eye contact. Craig’s eyes were incredibly puffy and there was snot and tears all over his face. Jeff gently wiped some tears away as he said, “You’re not a fake. You’re the most genuine person I know. You don’t care what other people think about how you look or what you do. You wanted to help people-”

“I wanted to help myself,” Craig argued. 

“No, the whole reason you wanted to be on the school board was to better protect Greendale,” Jeff said. “No one loves that school as much as you do. I’ve seen how hard you work at making everyone happy.” 

Craig shrugged, seeming reluctant to accept the praise. “Someone has to care about Greendale.” 

“I know what being a fake is, Craig. You are definitely not,” Jeff assured him. 

Craig sniffled, giving him a small smile. “Thank you, Jeffrey.” 

“I don’t think you’re cut out for lying,” Jeff commented.

Craig let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t say.” When he saw Jeff’s concerned face, he added “I’ve already scheduled a press conference for tomorrow. To clear things up.” 

Jeff nodded. It had done weird things to his heart to see Craig in so much pain and distress. He’d been so caught up in the Domingo thing that he hadn’t even noticed that Craig was struggling so much with his new role. Speaking of Domingo...

“Were you ever planning to tell me about Domingo?” Jeff asked.

“That was not my idea, believe you me,” Craig said. “The School Board members were ready with that little surprise right before the press conference was set to begin. They made it pretty clear that it wasn’t a suggestion.”

“Oh,” Jeff replied. Craig tilted his head and gave him a searching look. 

“You didn’t actually believe that...Jeffrey! I thought it would have been an obvious PR stunt,” Craig claimed.

“It wasn’t,” Jeff admitted. And it sounded more hurt and emotional than he had intended. 

“Oh,” Craig said. He looked at Jeff closely, trying to find something. Jeff hid away behind his practiced mask of indifference. They stood in awkward silence, a cheery pop song still sounding through the living room. “Well, Domingo will be out of my life soon either way.” Jeff watched as the Dean shrank in on himself. His shoulders hunched, tear stains over his face. 

He wanted to hug him again, give him any type of comfort, make him smile. Jeff wanted to kiss him and forget the sense of betrayal he felt the last two days. But that felt selfish right now. Craig was the one who’d had a stressful week. Jeff couldn’t ignore that and seek out his own comfort. Craig was ready to get rid of Domingo and Jeff wanted to insert himself in his place, but that would only bring the Dean more problems. Jeff didn’t want to be the reason that Craig cried. Funny how he finally figured out what he wanted when he realized he couldn’t have it.

“If anyone asks, you can always tell them we were negotiating my salary, or something,” Jeff said. 

Craig’s smile this time didn’t quite reach his eyes.. “Good idea. I guess I should go.” Craig walked towards the door and then turned back. “When you thought I was with Domingo, you weren’t...upset, were you?” 

“Of course not,” Jeff lied through his teeth. “We weren’t exclusive.”

Craig flinched at the use of past tense. Jeff found it incredible hard not to correct himself. To tell Craig that he could announce to all of Greendale that they were a ‘thing’. “Right, well, good night.”

“Night.”

Jeff stood in his spot for a long time. He tried to see the situation from different angles. But all the scenarios where he ended up with what he wanted, put more stress and problems on Craig. That wouldn’t be fair to Craig, especially when Jeff didn’t believe he was worth the trouble. So he’d let Craig go. He’d let Annie go last year. And he’d do the same with Craig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like any reading material on anti-racism, please go to bit.ly/JusticeJune . They scheduled out an entire month's worth (really several months worth) of material to help educate people. 
> 
> Also, I am struggling with the ending to this story so hopefully the next update will be some time next week...Hope you enjoyed! Please leave kuods and comments!


	4. I'm Yours to Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain convicted felon attending Greendale causes tension between Jeff and the Dean. Jeff quickly starts to question his decision of letting go of Craig. 
> 
> Some scenes and dialogue adopted from S6E5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Louisiana is set to pass a law banning no-knock warrants, Breonna Taylor's murderers are still free. Please go to msha.ke/30flirtyfilm/ to see how you can help.

When everyone on the committee had found out that the Dean and him were sleeping together, Jeff had been too busy dealing with all their emotions and his own to really have time to notice anything else. And then Domingo happened. Now the storm had passed and everything was settling down and Jeff had the unfortunate opportunity to realize how much the Dean had become a part of his life. 

Watching new episodes of  _ The Bachelor  _ were depressing reminders of past nights where he’d find any excuse to go over to Craig’s apartment. And then there was the lack of sex. Jeff had become increasingly frustrated with the fact that jerking off to porn was not as satisfying as replaying his encounters with Craig in his head. He missed the way Craig would seemingly melt at his touch. He missed the noises Craig would make when he was turned on or the way he’d frantically ride Jeff’s cock, desperate to cum all over Jeff’s chest. 

Yet being at Greendale was somehow worse. Everyone was treating him with kid gloves. Annie would give him worried puppy eyes whenever the Dean left a room, as if expecting Jeff to break down crying. Abed was handing him random pieces of chocolate covered almonds, which he did find delicious but was still confused by. Britta offered him free therapy sessions at least once a day. Frankie politely ignored his day drinking, aside from leaving cards for AA on his desk. Elroy made jokes about how Jeff was better off without a bird murderer. And Chang, oddly enough, was taking over as his new, inappropriate stalker. 

Yet he’d happily deal with all that if it meant not dealing with the empty hole in the middle of his chest. There were no longer any steamy looks between him and the Dean. Jeff didn’t stop by his office two or three times a day. He’d find himself wondering what crazy thing the Dean had purchased that day or if he ever got approval from Frankie to host that masquerade ball. If anything mildly interesting happened in one of his classes, he’d be reminded that he couldn’t share that with the Dean later on. He’d spent years mindlessly scrolling through his phone to look cool and have something to do in social situations to manage his anxiety. Yet a couple months of using that time to message the Dean or look for funny videos to send him and suddenly Jeff felt disappointed every time he picked up his phone. 

They hadn’t really been alone since that night in his apartment. Jeff had never really had practice with this. With Britta, it really had been just sex and the thrill of sneaking around. When that ended, it was easy to go back to being friends. With Annie it had always been about the promise of something, the what-ifs. And even after his break up with Slater, it had taken him less than a month to move on. He’d never dealt with this weird hollow feeling in his chest that, ironically, intensified when the Dean was around. 

Like right now. Frankie was setting up the iPads so the inmates could start their first day of classes. Jeff wasn’t sure why he was there. He tried to convince himself it wasn’t simply because the Dean was there. The Dean was standing several feet away from Jeff. He missed the days when the Dean would stand far too close to him, finding any excuse to touch his abs or grab his bicep. They’d be bickering lightly about something and Jeff might have even flirted with the Dean. They’d never really gotten to do that. Jeff would sometimes make a pass at him on campus, but it was always in empty hallways. 

The Dean stepped up to greet the inmates and made a comment about how there was a policy that everyone had to be nice to him. Jeff had no doubt that policy did exist. One of the inmates rolled forward, assuring the Dean that they wouldn’t cause any trouble. 

“Aw, that’s very folksy. Thank you,” the Dean said. Something about the Dean’s tone put Jeff on edge. It was too nice, too flattered. And he’d giggled too. Jeff shouldn’t have come. He was obviously overanalyzing everything. There was no way that interaction meant anything. 

* * *

“And you’re seriously taking his word over mine?” Jeff yelled. This was insane. He’d come to the Dean to tell him about Willy’s pathetic assassination attempt. He’d thought they’d have a good laugh over it and maybe it would break the ice so they could go back to being friends. Instead, he found Willy already filling the Dean’s ears with lies, and some unflattering truths. 

“Well, have you ever killed anyone Jeffrey? Why would an actual murderer want to kill a community college teacher?” 

“Now I’m not even worth murdering?” Jeff asked, outraged. “Why would I lie?”

“Isn’t that your specialty? You're a rancouter. You charm people with your slick and fancy words.” The Dean genuinely looked angry now. Why did Jeff have the sudden feeling this wasn’t about Willy anymore? “Willy, Willy just charms them.”

“Oh my God!” Jeff groaned. Maybe this was about Willy. Craig could not be gullible enough to fall for a convicted murderer!

“Jealousy isn’t a crime, Jeffrey,” the Dean started, after Willy’s arrogant departure. 

“Do I have something to be jealous about?” Jeff interrupted, lacing his voice with suggestion. After everything that had happened, was there any way Craig was going to move on first? Not that there was a relationship or break up to move on from, really. But Craig had been the one infatuated with him for years!

“Obviously it bothers you that there’s someone at this school who has a way with words,” Craig replied.

“Really? Cause I think you’re the only one who is charmed by that guy,” Jeff accused. 

“That’s hardly the point here! The point is $300,000, Jeffrey! So be a good teacher. Especially when Willy is watching,” Craig said. 

Jeff stood in the middle of the Dean’s office, glaring down at him. This could not be happening. He was taking the word of a prisoner over Jeff’s! And what was all that spiel about lies? Jeff had never lied to him. Rather, Jeff was fairly certain that he did not say any lie of substance to Craig in the last few months. 

He stormed out of the room without saying another word. Willy was going to pay for this. 

* * *

“The Dean’s making that convict you murdered into a professor.” 

There was a hot rage that filled Jeff in that moment. He’d only recently gotten himself to calm down after the Dean had screamed and cried over another man and then had the gall to say Jeff had broken his heart. Because in that moment it looked to be the other way around. The Dean was not only moving on but he wanted Jeff as far away as possible. 

Jeff had been telling himself that this was what he wanted all freaking day. He wanted the Dean to be happy. Jeff didn’t think it would happen so quickly, nor with a convicted felon, but it was fine. If the Dean was happy, then he was happy. 

But he was making Willy a professor?!

Craig was supposed to use his position of power to make Jeff’s life easier, to keep Jeff at that ridiculous excuse for a community college by his side. 

“A ceremony?” Jeff raged. 

“Why do you care so much?” Annie asked. 

“Because-” Jeff bit down on his tongue, literally. He’d been about to say “because Craig is mine”...But that wasn’t true. “Because Willy is using him and manipulating him.” 

“Isn’t that what you always do,” Britta commented.

“No,” Jeff snapped. “Yes, but...things are different now. I would never use him like that, manipulate his emotions with false promises.” He glared down at his drink. It was a mistake coming here. He should’ve stayed home and buried all his feelings away. “I care about him.”

“Jeff,” Annie said. “I think you should tell the Dean that.” 

Jeff shook his head. He’d already made his decision. Craig was better off without him. And Jeff...Jeff had thought he’d move on. But he couldn’t just imagine himself with someone else. He was never the type to focus on finding a relationship. That hadn’t changed. If it wasn’t with Craig, the idea of monogamy had no appeal. So he’d wallow in self pity for the rest of his life. Because he was coming to accept the fact that he was going to be at Greendale for the rest of his life. And that meant one day having to see Craig be with someone else. And that made his eyes sting in a way he wasn’t familiar with. Was he really capable of being that good of a person? 

He cleared his throat, trying to play the moment off but knowing all his emotions had just passed through his face. 

“Jeff,” Elroy said. “Go to him.” 

He shouldn’t. He’d made his decision. Jeff would be the cool single guy and grow old at Greendale. 

_ You and I are the same _ , Pierce’s voice ran through his head suddenly.

“Going to him,” Jeff said. He jumped out of his seat then paused. “Wait, I can’t go to him. That’s the whole point!” 

But then the group pulled off a scheme that would’ve made Abed proud. And while Jeff didn’t need the group’s approval, all of them helping him accomplish this strengthened his resolve.

* * *

“Hold it,” Jeff yelled. He moved his remote control car into the study room. Seriously? The ceremony had to be in the study room? “Dean, I agree there’s no reason for you not to give this guy my job.”

“Save it, Jeffrey,” Craig said, sternly. 

“Don’t do it before I tell you some things that I’ve been getting away with not saying.” 

“Somebody get this maniac out-”

“Quiet Willy,” the warden said. “Let’s do this by prison rules. Say what you have to say.” 

Jeff took in a big breath. “Craig, I like you, a lot. And I’ve missed you. More than I thought it could be possible to miss someone you see every weekday. I thought the right thing to do would be to let you go. Because you deserve to be with someone who can make you happy every single day. Someone who is as good and kind and selfless as you are. I’m not selfless and I’m certainly not good but I am definitely not a murderer. So, I can’t- won’t lose you to a convicted felon. Give him my job if you want, but please, don’t let me go.”

Craig was sobbing by the time he finished. There was a chorus of aw’s around the room. 

“The hell is going on here,” Willy said. 

“Not to break up this lovely moment, but you do know Willy is an innocent man, right?” the warden interrupted.

And then all hell broke loose. Jeff let all his rage and fear out in the fight against Willy. And when he took off his shirt, it was partially in blind rage and partially to have Craig ogle him. It had been weeks after all. It felt good to have Craig’s eyes on him even if it was through a computer screen. 

Jeff could hardly bring himself to be upset when Craig picked him up and started twirling them after deactivating Willy’s iPad. “Craig, Craig, stop,” Jeff said. But there was no bite to his tone, only fondness. “Seriously? No, come on.” Carrying him out bridal style was a bit of overkill. “Put me down.” Jeff ordered.

“Where are you?” Craig asked, his voice unusually husky. 

“Elroy’s RV.” He moved the camera so Craig could see Elroy dabbing his eyes in the corner. 

“So I’m a sucker for romance, who isn’t?” Elroy defended himself. 

“Come to my office, Jeffrey,” Craig said. “We need to get your, um, sabbatical cancelled.” 

Jeff was out the door after a quick thank you to Elroy. He ran across campus, not bothering to put on his sweater. No one found it terribly odd to see someone shirtless running through campus. He noticed security guards already taking done posters banning him from campus. Jeff came to a stop right outside of Craig’s office and then he was almost knocked over. 

Craig jumped into his arms,wrapping his legs around Jeff’s waist. Jeff was first more concerned with getting a good hold on Craig and not losing his footing. But once he was sure neither of them would hit the floor, Jeff buried his face in Craig’s neck and breathed him in. They stood there in the middle of the hall for several moments before Craig pulled away. 

He kissed Jeff. It was sloppy and desperate and everything Jeff had been fantasizing about for the last several days. Jeff was fully ready for an inappropriate make out session but instead Craig pulled back abruptly and slapped his shoulder. 

“Ow, what was that for?” 

“You were going to ‘let me go’?” Craig asked, outraged. 

“I...well, yes,” Jeff admitted. Craig slapped his shoulder. “Again, ow.” 

“Jeffrey Winger, I am a full grown adult who is perfectly capable of making bad decisions all on my own. Understood?”

“Yes,” Jeff replied, fond smile back.

“Good, now please take me to a place where we can properly be reunited,” Craig said. “We’re breaking a few school rules right now.” They looked around at the crowd that had gathered around them, many with phones out. 

“Good idea,” Jeff said. Craig jumped off of him and insisted on holding hands as they made their way back to the parking lot, confiscating Jeff’s sweater on the way. Jeff rolled his eyes but was very pleased with the way Craig kept running his hand up and down his bare arm. 

They hurried into his car. The distance between campus and his apartment had never felt longer. Jeff was hyper aware of Craig. He kept one of his hands on Jeff’s shoulder. Eventually that hand started rubbing and wandering down his chest. 

“You’re gonna make me crash,” Jeff complained. His nipples were already hard and his cock was straining against his jeans. Craig huffed and removed his hand. Jeff missed its warmth but kept his mouth shut. He really was easily distracted while driving. Out of the corner of his eye, Jeff watched Craig start scrolling through his phone. 

“Oh!” Craig exclaimed. 

“What?”

“We’re a hashtag,” Craig announced. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Look!” Jeff pointedly gestured towards the road. “Right, sorry. Anyway, it’s a bunch of videos and pictures of us! #DeanPinger.”

“The fuck is Pinger?” Jeff asked.

“Oh, you know, when they mesh a couple’s names together,” Craig explained. Craig kept scrolling and absentmindedly placed his hand back on Jeff’s arm. 

“Seriously? That was the best one they could come up with?” 

“Well, it is Greendale,” Craig said. “Oh! Someone recorded your confession!” The car was suddenly filled with his own voice saying horribly embarrassing things. 

“Turn it off.” Jeff demanded.

“No! I should make this my ringtone!” 

“Don’t you dare,” Jeff complained. He finally pulled into their apartment building. As he was turning off the car, Jeff blurted out, “Welton!”

“Beg your pardon?” Craig asked. 

“Welton is ten times better than  _ Pinger _ ,” Jeff explained. 

“I don’t think we can change it now,” Craig countered. “This would make a nice wallpaper.” 

Jeff, not at all annoyed that Craig was paying more attention to his phone than him, looked over at the phone. Someone had snapped a picture of them when Craig had been spinning his broom around. 

“Absolutely not,” Jeff said. 

“But-”

“We can take a much better picture than that,” Jeff declared. Jeff grabbed Craig’s phone, scrolling through the tag. 

It was mainly pictures and video of the study room and the hallway incidents. Further down though, there was a heated debate about who had “called it”. One particular thread claimed this was years in the making. Jeff scoffed. He skimmed through the thread out of curiosity. There was one picture halfway through. Someone had taken it from the hallway outside of the study room. It was at least a year old since Troy and Pierce were in the foreground. Craig was making an announcement to the group, one hand casually on Jeff’s shoulder. And Jeff was looking up at Craig...he had an oddly soft look on his face. He was even smiling. Jeff stared at the picture. He couldn’t remember that day or what Craig had been saying. Jeff had never realized that he’d look at Craig so fondly before all of this.

Craig shifted in his seat, looking over at the picture. “Oh, that thread,” Craig said. “A bit out there, even for Greendale.” Jeff looked over at Craig. He seemed completely serious. Were they looking at the same photo? Did he think the way Jeff was looking at him was nothing special? Craig caught him staring. “What?” 

“You’re beautiful,” Jeff said. Craig blushed at the compliment. Before Craig could respond, Jeff kissed him. He moved over the space between them, trying to get as close to Craig as possible. For the first time, Jeff actually tried to convey his feelings with a kiss. He wanted Craig to read into it and hear all the things Jeff still couldn’t bring himself to say. Jeff had obviously been looking at Craig with… something that day and if Craig couldn’t see that, then what else wasn’t he seeing?

So Jeff kissed him until they were both breathless and promised himself that he wouldn’t let Craig doubt his feelings for him. Because Jeff had very strong feelings for Craig Pelton.

He pulled back, breathing out three words: “Apartment. Bed. Now.”

They rushed through their apartment building. When they’d reached the hallway, Craig made to open his door. “Actually,” Jeff said. “Why don’t we go to my place?” 

“I’d love to,” Craig swooned. 

Jeff quickly opened his door. As soon as they were locked away in the privacy of his apartment, Jeff wrapped his arms around Craig and kissed him again. Jeff pushed his tongue past Craig’s lips, eager to taste him. He moaned long and hard when he felt Craig’s hands in his hair. There was a sense of urgency that Jeff had never felt before. Like if he stopped kissing Craig, horrible things would happen.

Craig was as responsive as ever. Within minutes he was desperately dry humping his leg. Jeff needed a surface to push him up against so they could grind their hips together properly. And what Jeff wanted most of all was to see Craig naked and needy, spread out on his bed. 

He started pushing Craig towards his bedroom, hoping they didn’t hit any furniture along the way. Craig’s hands moved to his chest and pushed him back. “Wait,” Craig said. “We should set up the rules, right?” 

It took a moment for Jeff’s brain to start working again. “Rules? This isn’t a friends with benefits type of thing, Craig.” Jeff took in a deep breath. “I want you to be my boyfriend. And I recognize that that means work and communicating and compromising. I can’t just dictate a bunch of rules and threaten you to follow them.” 

“Oh, Jeffrey, how many times are you gonna make me cry today?” Craig asked. Jeff leaned down and kissed both his cheeks. “Okay, now even I’m not that sappy.”

“Shut up!” Jeff said, mock offended. They laughed as they started kissing each other. Jeff couldn’t remember a time when being with someone else was this...free. He didn’t have to pretend to be anyone he wasn’t. He could be Jeff around Craig and Craig would be okay with that. 

They stumbled into his room; Jeff removed Craig’s tie and shirt on the way there. “God, I missed you,” Jeff groaned, biting into Craig’s bare neck. 

Craig moaned under his touches. “I think you mentioned that,” Craig replied. Craig’s hands were lightly scratching down his back, making Jeff’s spine tingle with need. When they reached the foot of his bed, Jeff pushed Craig down. He’d done this multiple times with many women over the years. But he’d never looked at any of them with an ounce of the emotion he was looking at Craig with. 

“Take off your pants,” Jeff ordered. He watched with hungry eyes as Craig scrambled to unbuckle his belt. Craig shimmed out of his khakis and striped underwear. Jeff had found it oddly flattering that Craig had a few pairs of identical underwear as him. The thought popped into his head that at some point, he’d regularly find himself pulling on boxers two sizes too small. That overly domestic thought didn’t make him panic. And then Craig was naked on his bed and Jeff could only focus on one thing. “There’s lube and condoms in the top drawer.” 

Jeff’s eyes were glued to Craig’s tight ass as he turned over and reached for the drawer of his night stand. “Stay on your hands and knees,” Jeff told him. Craig did as he was told. Fuck, Jeff couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard before even touching himself. Jeff began removing his pants but stopped when Craig looked back at him. “Eyes forward,” Jeff said.

“Seriously?” Craig asked, appalled. 

Jeff walked over to the edge of the bed and without letting himself hesitate too much, he smacked Craig’s ass. The sound rang out through the room. Craig yelped and then promptly turned back to face the headboard. 

“You know about the color system, right?” Jeff asked. He tried to sound stern and self assured but wasn’t sure he was achieving that. 

“Yes and green. Very much green,” Craig reassured. 

“Good, then keep your eyes forward,” Jeff ordered. He continued removing the rest of his clothing noisily, watching Craig closely. Jeff wasn’t sure if he wanted him to turn around or not. Craig’s right ass cheek was painted red and Jeff was very eager to have an opportunity to spank the other one. 

Once he was fully naked, Jeff got on the bed behind Craig and reached over to take the lube, being extra careful to make sure he didn’t touch Craig. Jeff took his time sloppily covering his fingers in lube and warming them up. He looked down at Craig whose hands were clutching the sheets. Jeff was never really big on teasing and dragging things out. He was much more for efficiency, reaching the finish line. But Craig’s reactions were always such a turn on that he constantly found himself dragging out the foreplay. Of course, once he was inside Craig’s tight, warm body, Jeff was a victim to his own desires. 

Jeff placed his hand on Craig’s hip and Craig’s moan had him leaking precum. This man was going to be the death of him. Jeff slowly pushed one finger into him, feeling how Craig pushed back so his finger would slide in further. “Jeffrey,” Craig breathed out. Jeff tried to keep his breathing steady as he thrust his finger in and out of Craig, occasionally curling it. He soon added a second feeling, his dick begging him to get on with it. “Please Jeffrey,” Craig begged. Using the last of his restraint, Jeff decided to add another finger. He didn’t have much practice fingering anyone but he hoped the sheer size of his fingers would make up for his lack of technique for the time being. 

“What do you want?” Jeff asked. 

“You fucking me,” Craig pleaded. 

“You sure you wouldn’t rather have Domingo here?” Jeff said. Because as much as he’d like to be a grown up, he was an insecure man child who needed his ego stroked constantly. 

“No!” Craig exclaimed. He sounded offended, which was good. Jeff couldn’t bear the thought of Craig wanting someone else. His fingers had decided to take up a rhythm all on their own, fucking into Craig’s tight asshole as Jeff was overrun by a sudden possessive streak. He’d never really cared about any of the people he slept with to be possessive over them. This was entirely new and he wasn’t sure how to reign it in. 

“What about Willy?” Jeff found himself saying. “I’m sure that would have worked out well for you two. How hard could it be to get a conjugal visit, right?” 

“No!” Craig said again, more forceful. “I don’t want anyone else. I just want you. I’m yours.” 

Jeff hadn’t realized that those words were what he’d been fishing for until he heard them. His throat closed up and his heart was racing from something other than lust. He’d never really  _ had _ anyone, not in that way. It was scary. Now he had something to lose. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Craig, but he was bound to. There was no way he’d be a perfect boyfriend. He didn’t know how. And Craig wasn’t exactly the most mellow of people. Yet as scary and high stakes as it was to be with someone, Jeff was willing to try. With Craig, Jeff wanted to try.

Jeff removed his fingers. He leaned over Craig, wrapping his arm around Craig’s chest to bring them together. Jeff rested his forehead on Craig’s shoulder for a moment. Craig’s hand calmly started running through his hair. “I’m yours,” he whispered again softly. Jeff’s hold on Craig tightened. He opened his mouth multiple times, to return the sentiment. He knew it would be true. Jeff had known it for weeks now. Still, the words never came. 

Instead, Jeff kissed Craig’s shoulder and grabbed one of the condoms on the bed. He pulled back to put it on. His mind was racing with what he could say. Anything to let Craig know that he was in this too. He didn’t want Craig’s mind littered with the same doubts that haunted Jeff’s thoughts. He lined himself up behind Craig, hand back on his hip. He forced words out of his mouth before he could be embarrassed by them. “You ready, baby?” 

Craig’s whole body shivered and he bucked his hips back towards Jeff. For a moment it looked like Craig was going to look back, but then he stopped himself and Jeff was eternally grateful. Craig did not need to see that he was blushing at that moment. “Yes,” he moaned. 

He wasn’t entirely sure if he got his message across. Craig had no way of knowing that he’d never used any pet names with anyone else before. They were the epitome of relationships and Jeff avoided them like the plague. But that felt right to say. Jeff could get used to it. Either way, it assuaged Jeff’s panic enough so that his raging hard on was his most pressing concern again.

Jeff shifted on the bed, pushing into Craig’s warm body. They both moaned as Jeff entered him. Jeff had had longer dry spells than a few weeks, but it had never felt so good to end one before. He took a moment to breathe and let Craig adjust. Then, he slowly started thrusting into Craig, relishing every little noise he made. Jeff’s imagination had not been able to adequately recreate this feeling. 

“Did you miss this?” Jeff asked. 

“God yes, Jeffrey,” Craig moaned. 

“Did you jerk off imaging my cock in you? Did you moan and whimper like you’re doing now?” Jeff groaned as he felt Craig clench around him. “Fuck, you’re always so loud. I bet even Domingo could hear you in the living room. Sure he heard you moaning my name.”

“Jeffrey!” Craig begged. Jeff tightened his grip on Craig’s hips and thrusted into him faster. Shit, he was really not going to last long at all. “Fuck, I can’t wait to fuck you without a condom. Be able to fill you up,” Jeff gasped out. He shifted his weight. He placed one hand on top of Craig’s and the other went underneath him to grab Craig’s cock. 

“Yes!” Craig yelled. Craig moved his hand so their fingers were oddly intertwined and that did not- absolutely did not- make his cock throb. He focused his energy on thrusting into Craig and pumping his cock and since when did the feeling of Craig’s cum sliding over his fingers become such a damn turn on? 

“Fuck, baby,” Jeff groaned. 

“Oh!” Craig was cumming all over his hand. “Jeffrey!” 

Jeff bit down on Craig’s shoulder as he came, not trusting himself to not say something embarrassing in the heat of the moment. He continued to pump slowly in and out of Craig a moment longer, savoring the sensation. Jeff looked down at the red mark he’d left on Craig’s shoulder. He kissed it lightly as he pulled out of Craig. “Sorry,” he mumbled. 

Craig let himself collapse onto his stomach as Jeff removed the condom and threw it away. Craig huffed out a laugh. “For fucking my brains out?” Jeff’s pride swelled at the compliment. He wiped his hand off with a tissue and then looked down at Craig. There was the red mark on his shoulder, a red ass cheek, and even finger sized markings on his hips. 

“May have been a bit rough,” Jeff said. 

Craig scoffed. “Hardly,” he mumbled. Jeff’s lips quirked up at that. Obviously all the times Craig joked about enjoying being beat up were not a complete lie.Jeff lay down on the bed and Craig reached out to lay his hand on Jeff’s stomach. Without a second thought, Jeff placed his hand over Craig’s. He blamed the post-coital bliss. 

“Can I ask you something?” Craig asked. Jeff turned his head to look at Craig and nodded. “That night...when you first came over...why did you? I mean, I know your date didn’t go well-”

“Wait, you heard us?” Jeff asked, horrified. 

“Oh, Jeffrey, don’t worry about it. As if I haven’t been called worse.”

“That brings me no comfort at all,” Jeff admitted. 

“You’re ignoring my question,” Craig pointed out. 

Jeff looked up at the ceiling, remembering that night. He’d stood in the hallway, indecisive. His date hadn’t panned out and it was too late to go to a bar and try to find someone else. Because he needed someone at that moment. “I didn’t want to be alone,” Jeff admitted. He kept his eyes on the ceiling even though he wanted to see Craig’s reaction. Craig didn’t say anything, but shimmed over on the bed until he was half on top of Jeff, his head resting on his shoulder. Jeff was more than happy to wrap his arms around Craig. 

“You know there are dozens of people out there who would give an arm and a leg to sleep with you, right?” Craig asked. Jeff wasn’t sure if Craig was trying to boost his ego or making a self-deprecating joke. 

Jeff answered honestly regardless. “It wasn’t about the sex. I wasn’t planning on making a move on you when I knocked on your door. I just wanted company.” 

“Oh,” Craig said. “What about the rest of the group?”

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. “There’s this unspoken rule that we don’t really hang out over the summer. Besides...Shirley had left for Atlanta a few days before.” Jeff stayed quiet for a moment. That was a good enough answer. It wouldn’t be lying to stop there. Yet he continued. “Everything had been different since Pierce died and then Troy left. Then Shirley. I knew it was only a matter of time before the group went their separate ways so… I didn’t want to be alone that night.” 

He’d never really said that aloud. It was true though. He feared the group would soon disintegrate and he’d be left alone. Craig snuggled closer into his chest. Jeff was sure he was in for a speech about how they’d all stay at Greendale forever. Instead, Craig whispered, “I’m glad you knocked.” 

Jeff couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is currently still June 12th as I write this, so in remembrance of Pulse and the 49 lives that were lost that night four years ago, please keep learning and participating. Today was not a good day for LGBT+ rights in America. We still have a long road ahead. We can start by supporting Black Lives Matter in anyway we can. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought! This is my first multichapter work and I'm very proud of myself for completing this. I have two other stories planned for this AU but no timeline on when those will be done. 
> 
> PS: I've seen some of you on Tumblr! So happy to have more Community on my dash!

**Author's Note:**

> The final chapter will be posted whenever I finish it. Let me know what you thought of the story so far! If any of you have protested/donated/amplified black voices, thank you! Stay safe, stay alert, and keep participating. Remember, the first pride was a riot started by black trans women.
> 
> "No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us." - Marsha P Johnson
> 
> Happy Pride Month!


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